A storm system that has dropped heavy rain and snow in California throughout the week has washed away a portion of Highway 1 along the Big Sur Coast.
California Highway Patrol officer Kyle Foster shared a picture of the roadway, showing a massive chunk of road missing from the coastline highway connecting Monterey County and San Luis Obispo County, leading to traffic disruptions and road closures in the area.
“State Route 1 between MPM 40 and the San Luis Obispo county line continues to be impacted by inclement weather, debris flow, flooding, and slides,” Foster wrote on Facebook.
“This area is closed to the public. Remain clear of the area and plan alternate routes,” he continued. “Please continue to exercise extreme caution on rural roads, especially at night.”
Big Sur Fire said there is currently no estimate of when the key coastal route would reopen, adding that updates will be provided as soon as they become available.
Highway 1—also known as State Route 1—is the longest roadway in California and runs along most of the state’s Pacific coastline. It’s also a popular tourist destination known for its sweeping views of rocky cliffs and the ocean.
The two-day rainfall totaled nearly 14 inches in San Luis Obispo County, the National Weather Service said.
In 2017, a portion of Highway 1 was forced to close for more than a year following severe mudslides in the area.
CHP officials also closed off a 75-mile stretch of Interstate 80 following multiple spinouts along the key route east of Sacramento to the Nevada border west of Reno earlier this week. No injuries were reported and the highway has since reopened, officials announced Friday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the counties of Monterey and San Luis Obispo on Friday in response to winter storms that have caused mud and debris flow and triggered evacuations.
About 8,200 people were under orders to evacuate foothill neighborhoods beneath the burn scar of last summer’s El Dorado Fire near Yucaipa on Friday. Deputies went door to door urging people to leave in the Oak Glen area.
Two people have died in California’s Sierra Nevada since the storm system with an active atmospheric river flooded and buried the area in snow, authorities said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
