More problems along Hwy 1, California coast
04-01-24, 08:16 PM
#1
Pennylane Splitter
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 1,899
Bikes: Yes
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1858 Post(s)
Liked 1,512 Times
in
1,032 Posts
More problems along Hwy 1, California coast
I'm not doing any touring these days, but thought I'd post these for those who might be looking at a ride between San Francisco - Los Angeles/Southern California this spring or summer. First video is the TV news report, second video is just video, no commentary but some good drone shots.
Likes For Yan:
04-03-24, 08:47 AM
#4
ignominious poltroon
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 4,165
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2295 Post(s)
Liked 3,525 Times
in
1,853 Posts
Yeah, there are now four slides/closures in total. I think the main reason for this one is to give priority to the local residents.
04-03-24, 08:53 AM
#5
ignominious poltroon
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 4,165
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2295 Post(s)
Liked 3,525 Times
in
1,853 Posts
04-03-24, 09:05 AM
#6
Pennylane Splitter
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Orange County, California
Posts: 1,899
Bikes: Yes
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1858 Post(s)
Liked 1,512 Times
in
1,032 Posts
Yeah, I'm thinking the State is going to get all the people possible out of that area to the south, then probably have to take out the entire road to see what's happening underneath the asphalt before they can develop a plan to rebuild that section. I wouldn't plan n pedaling through there anytime this summer or into the fall.
04-03-24, 01:02 PM
#8
ignominious poltroon
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 4,165
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2295 Post(s)
Liked 3,525 Times
in
1,853 Posts
Paul's Slide happened over a year ago.
04-04-24, 08:11 AM
#10
Bike touring webrarian
Depends on the time of the year. I've ridden it several times in April and the traffic is manageable if you ride with a mirror and are willing to pull off (when you can) when a line of traffic is coming. The road is very windy, so cars/RVs can only go so fast. I was there last June and the traffic was the worst I've seen even though the road was closed due to the Paul's Slide.
But, it is a narrow road often without a shoulder and with only a railing between you and the cliff. Bikes are common on the road but most of the drivers are doing for the first time and likely a bit distracted. I wouldn't let traffic fears stop you from riding this road (whenever it is open again), but caution needs to be exercised.
But, it is a narrow road often without a shoulder and with only a railing between you and the cliff. Bikes are common on the road but most of the drivers are doing for the first time and likely a bit distracted. I wouldn't let traffic fears stop you from riding this road (whenever it is open again), but caution needs to be exercised.
Likes For raybo:
04-04-24, 12:33 PM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,963
Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee
Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2633 Post(s)
Liked 1,985 Times
in
1,242 Posts
04-07-24, 01:22 PM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Upstate South Carolina
Posts: 1,096
Bikes: 1980's Spectrum 10 sp Campagnolo Centaur, 1990 Eddy Merckx 10 sp Campagnolo Centaur, Bushnell Tandem, Co-Motion Speedster Tandem
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 188 Post(s)
Liked 103 Times
in
66 Posts
We rode from SF to LA mid June 2021 on our tandem. There is no shoulder so you have to pay attention. It is good on a tandem as my wife will turn and make direct eye-to-eye contact if someone is looking to do something stupid. :-) We found the cars to be very conscientious for the most part. people are using this road to see the beauty, If they were looking to make time they would be on the interstate just to the east. It is weird riding along the cliff's edge with only a low rock wall between you and the drop off. My wife felt pretty good with everything. That is a pretty good gauge as she has no control. It is so beautiful, we had been planning this trip for years and it did not disappoint. On the curvy downhills I would take the lane as we were able to roll faster then most of the cars and campers.
Likes For Paul J:
04-07-24, 07:12 PM
#13
No Pain, No Pizza
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Above Jamestown, CO
Posts: 298
Bikes: 2015 Tarmac Pro Disc, '99 Burley Duet, '10 Velo Vie Vitesse 300R, '94 Trek 2120, '90 Cannondale SR 600, '79 Ross Super Gran Tour, '76 Raleigh Record
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 31 Post(s)
Liked 45 Times
in
24 Posts
Hasn’t Hwy 1 been closed from damage for more than a year?
04-08-24, 12:52 AM
#14
velo-dilettante
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: insane diego, california
Posts: 8,370
Bikes: 85 pinarello treviso steel, 88 nishiki olympic steel. 95 look kg 131 carbon, 11 trek madone 5.2 carbon
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1643 Post(s)
Liked 3,166 Times
in
1,714 Posts
Likes For diphthong:
04-13-24, 01:05 PM
#15
ignominious poltroon
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 4,165
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2295 Post(s)
Liked 3,525 Times
in
1,853 Posts
Likes For Polaris OBark:
04-14-24, 01:13 PM
#16
Palmer
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 8,687
Bikes: Mike Melton custom, Alex Moulton AM, Dahon Curl
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1702 Post(s)
Liked 1,888 Times
in
1,091 Posts
Hmm. Just seems like troublesome strata for a cliff-hugging road. Any chance Cali could cut an MUP through from around Miller's Ranch to near Nacimiento Campground and call it good? 
Last edited by tcs; 04-14-24 at 08:31 PM.
04-15-24, 09:24 AM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,963
Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee
Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2633 Post(s)
Liked 1,985 Times
in
1,242 Posts
How much do you think the state could siphon off from getting CA 1 back open to build an entirely new path for bicyclists??
04-17-24, 12:54 AM
#18
Senior Member
That red line blithely crosses over some very rugged terrain, not to mention that much of it is designated wilderness.
There is a lot of the road (hwy 1) built on top of the Franciscan complex, which is a jumbled up and sheared mess of rocks, not known for its resistance to slope failures. But they didn't have much choice.
It would be a lot cheaper and quicker for someone to offer a ferry service for cyclists around the slides.
Last edited by stevepusser; 04-18-24 at 01:29 AM.
04-17-24, 07:02 AM
#19
Palmer
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 8,687
Bikes: Mike Melton custom, Alex Moulton AM, Dahon Curl
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1702 Post(s)
Liked 1,888 Times
in
1,091 Posts
Coast Guard, Department of Transportation, EPA, Department of Homeland Security, Jones Act, Cali regulations, local (dock) ordinances, insurance. Amazing that someone hasn't already started this, eh? 
Fun fact: In 1827 young Abraham Lincoln was arrested for operating a ferry without a license.
Fun fact: In 1827 young Abraham Lincoln was arrested for operating a ferry without a license.
Last edited by tcs; 04-17-24 at 07:06 AM.
Likes For tcs:
05-19-24, 01:25 PM
#20
Bike Butcher of Portland
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 11,681
Bikes: It's complicated.
Mentioned: 1304 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4709 Post(s)
Liked 5,896 Times
in
2,316 Posts
In 2021 I did a multi-day tour from SF to Cambria on Hwy 1. The ride is spectacular, if you plan on doing it in the spring or fall to stay away from high season, traffic isn't really an issue.
I planned to do it again in 2023 with a larger group, then the atmospheric river storms came through and did damage. If someone were planning to do a tour down the west coast, you can go inland and bypass Big Sur by riding from Monterey east through Carmel Valley, then head south inland to Paso Robles, and cut back to the coast. We did that, chronicalled here. There was some legal freeway riding involved on 101, which we had to do because of washed out country roads, which should be available again.
The two posts, above give you plenty of details for both methods, but if you have some questions, PM me. I spent a lot of time both years planning the routes.
Hwy 1 through Big Sur is falling into the Pacific all the time. Caltrans keeps fixing it, has been doing it since it was built in the 1920's. There's a construction company out of San Luis Obispo that seems to exist partially to fix Hwy 1 when it breaks.
I planned to do it again in 2023 with a larger group, then the atmospheric river storms came through and did damage. If someone were planning to do a tour down the west coast, you can go inland and bypass Big Sur by riding from Monterey east through Carmel Valley, then head south inland to Paso Robles, and cut back to the coast. We did that, chronicalled here. There was some legal freeway riding involved on 101, which we had to do because of washed out country roads, which should be available again.
The two posts, above give you plenty of details for both methods, but if you have some questions, PM me. I spent a lot of time both years planning the routes.
Hwy 1 through Big Sur is falling into the Pacific all the time. Caltrans keeps fixing it, has been doing it since it was built in the 1920's. There's a construction company out of San Luis Obispo that seems to exist partially to fix Hwy 1 when it breaks.
__________________
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
Likes For gugie:
05-31-24, 06:10 PM
#21
ignominious poltroon
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 4,165
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2295 Post(s)
Liked 3,525 Times
in
1,853 Posts
Paul's slide (the major impediment) is to re-open mid-summer:
BIG SUR, Calif. —Caltrans has updated the public Friday for when several closures will be reopened on Highway 1.
Highway 1 at Paul's Slide is expected to open by early to mid-July. Paul's Slide has been closed since Jan. 14, 2023.
The southern closure of Highway 1 at Limekiln State Park will move north and open access to Lucia, the Camaldoli Hermitage and area residents.
"In part to address slide activity at this location, the roadway has been moved slightly inland and elevated at its south end. The repair will feature an expanded catchment area between the travel lanes and the slope. A concrete protective barrier and fencing will also extend along the northbound shoulder," Caltrans said.
The other two major slides are expected to open this year as well.
The Regent’s Slide is estimated to open in late fall, and Dolan Point is expected to open by early summer.
Highway 1 at Paul's Slide is expected to open by early to mid-July. Paul's Slide has been closed since Jan. 14, 2023.
The southern closure of Highway 1 at Limekiln State Park will move north and open access to Lucia, the Camaldoli Hermitage and area residents.
"In part to address slide activity at this location, the roadway has been moved slightly inland and elevated at its south end. The repair will feature an expanded catchment area between the travel lanes and the slope. A concrete protective barrier and fencing will also extend along the northbound shoulder," Caltrans said.
The other two major slides are expected to open this year as well.
The Regent’s Slide is estimated to open in late fall, and Dolan Point is expected to open by early summer.
