HIGHWAY 1 AT RAT CREEK, BIG SUR

Rebuild the section of Highway 1 at Rat Creek that washed out.

Highway 1 at Rat Creek was reopened to traffic on April 23, 2021, nearly two months ahead of the target date for the $11.5 million repair project, and after a full closure of the roadway since the January 28, 2021 mudslide that washed out 150 feet of the road. The debris flow sent trees, boulders and sediment downhill, overtaking the culvert and sending the flow over the roadway causing the washout of Highway 1, about 30 miles north of the San Luis Obispo County border and two miles south of Esalen Institute.

Crews worked seven days a week during daylight hours to fill the canyon with compacted dirt to the road level. The base of a new road was established, followed by paving and striping. Additional construction activities which will be accomplished over the next few months include installation of permanent guardrail (K-rail now in place), construction of headwalls at the culvert inlets, final grading features, and placement of erosion control measures on both sides of the roadway.