RVers from each end of the country are getting a plateful of road problems. Back East, the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, means lengthy detours for RVers toting propane. Now the West Coast has added its misery to a popular RV destination. A landslide near Big Sur has closed state parks.
“Giant bite” out of the roadway
On Saturday a landslide along California’s Highway 1 took what some described as “a giant bite” from the roadway. Travelers and locals alike were trapped overnight until official convoys could be arranged on Sunday to lead them out. Upwards of 2,000 people were stuck and had to be led out, according to California Highway Patrol estimates.
The landslide near Big Sur, dubbed the Rocky Creek Slide, is the third in a series of slides just this year. Heavy rains were reported then, but the cause is still under investigation.
Closure list
Every state park in the Big Sur area is now closed down until further notice. These include:
- Point Sur State Historic Park
- Andrew Molera State Park
- Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
- Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
- Limekiln State Park
State highway authority Caltrans says it will try and get the road open quickly. “We’ll try to immediately try and stabilize that edge and design a repair to make a structural fix at that location,” said Kevin Drabinski of Caltrans District 5.
The landslide near Big Sur has caused Caltrans to organize caravans of essential workers and residents, allowing them to go through at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. over the next few days. They are asking tourists to stay home. “Big Sur is not the place to go right now,” said Nick Pasculli, communications director of Monterey County.
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Thank you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Perhaps closing the campgrounds will dissuade tourists from trying to visit, allowing the work to be completed faster. Thanks again, safe travels, and have a great week! 🙂
No need to panic. Lots of things to see and do north and south of the shutdown. Our CA park department’s knee jerk reaction is always to close things.