A section of California’s scenic Highway 1 near Big Sur that collapsed during a winter storm has reopened, just in time for Memorial Day travel.
The highway has been closed since Jan. 28, when heavy rain unleashed torrents of mud and debris left over from a wildfire, washing a 150-foot chunk of roadway into the sea. The slide occurred about two miles south of Big Sur’s Esalen Institute, blocking northbound coastal travelers from such Central Coast sites as Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Nepenthe restaurant and Big Sur Campground & Cabins.
McWay Falls drops over an 80-foot cliff at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Crews began to fill the canyon below with compacted dirt in early March. They worked nearly 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, and were able to restore the roadway nearly two months ahead of schedule, aided by dry weather and increasingly longer days, the California Department of Transportation said.
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The work was estimated to cost $11.5 million, the agency said.
An L.A. Times photographer’s early-May weekend trip took in the views awaiting travelers now returning to that stretch of highway.
A view south to the coastline of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Bixby Creek Bridge, completed in 1932, spans Bixby Canyon on the Big Sur coast.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
California’s Highway 1 hugs the coastline near Limekiln State Park in Big Sur.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
A field of mustard stands out near a white ranch shed north of Point Piedras Blancas.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Echium candicans blooms in the wild at Ragged Point.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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A woman walks her dog along the boardwalk viewing area at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery, south of Point Piedras Blancas along Highway 1.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Elephant seals lounge on the beach at the Piedras Blancas rookery.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
A couple climb up as they take in coastline views in Big Sur.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Cliffside cabins have a commanding view on a bluff at Lucia Lodge.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Campers keep cool on colorful inner tubes on the Big Sur River in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Hilda Pongo of Simi Valley enjoys the view of the rocky cliffs of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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Pines top a coastal bluff north of San Simeon along California’s Highway 1.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The setting sun sets cliffs aglow along Highway 1 north of San Simeon.
(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
The sun sets behind pines at Point Sur.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Beachgoers walk on the sand at San Carpoforo Creek Beach near Ragged Point.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Wind and waves on the beach along Highway 1 north of San Simeon.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
People walk along the shore as a campfire glows on the beach at San Carpoforo Creek.
