Storms delay Highway 1 slide repairs in Big Sur. When will the road be fully open again?

Travelers and Central Coast residents can expect Highway 1 in Big Sur to fully reopen next fall, after recent winter storms slowed progress on road repairs.

A trio of slides are blocking portions of the scenic highway: first, Paul’s Slide closed the road in January 2023, followed by the Dolan Point and Regent slides this February.

Before the Dolan Point and Regent slides caused new closures this winter, Caltrans had initially anticipated being able to reopen the road fully by this spring.

That’s no longer the case, especially after recent storms continued to slow progress on the ongoing road repairs, according to Caltrans.

The section of road affected by the Dolan Point Slide is expected to open first in mid-May after crews install cable net drapery to avoid rock slides, according to a Caltrans news release.

The repairs on the section of road affected by Paul’s Slide meanwhile have been delayed due to the winter storms, rains and additional slides along the highway, according to Caltrans.

Caltrans now expects to reopen the section of highway by the summer, according to the release.

Currently, “crews are making cuts in the slope to prepare for final alignment of the roadway,” the release said. Surveys of the road’s alignment, installation of new drainage systems and further construction preparations are expected in the coming weeks.

The section of highway impacted by Regent Slide is expected to be repaired within 100 days of crews starting the repairs, although Caltrans is still waiting for environmental clearances, according to a Caltrans post on X.

The clearances are expected to be granted in the next two weeks and the repairs could begin in the next three weeks. The agency said it expects to reopen the section of highway affected by Regent Slide fully in the fall.

Meanwhile to the north of the closures, work to stabilize a portion of Highway 1 that crumbled away during a recent storm is underway and expected to be completed by Memorial Day, Caltrans said.

Convoys continue in at Paul’s Slide

Caltrans will be adding a new midday convoy to the schedule at Paul’s Slide with convoys now running at 7:45 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.

“A midday convoy has been added ... to allow for students north of Paul’s Slide to attend a full school day,” Caltrans said in the release.

However, the 1 p.m. convoy could be eliminated in the coming weeks to mitigate stoppages as construction begins.