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PCH warning: Bridge closed at Big Sur on Hwy 1

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PCH warning: Bridge closed at Big Sur on Hwy 1

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Old 05-24-17, 08:17 AM
  #101  
hueyhoolihan
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the owner of that home next door may be thinking that some 'ocean front property in Arizona' ain't such a bad idea right now. i think i'll make a low-ball offer...
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Old 05-24-17, 08:34 AM
  #102  
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Originally Posted by autonomy
It's just a mound of dirt. Can't you just hike-a-bike on top of that?
I can, but I worry about people with three-bolt SL cleats.
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Old 05-24-17, 03:57 PM
  #103  
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I am afraid that the Big Sur section of Hwy1 is done for. The state is not going to be able to afford these constant repairs.
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Old 05-25-17, 07:27 AM
  #104  
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Originally Posted by FBinNY
Despite this temporary setback, I'll bet two beers on the humans.
Looks like another knockdown for Nature.


Last edited by BigAura; 05-25-17 at 07:42 AM.
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Old 05-25-17, 09:22 AM
  #105  
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Time to redraw the maps. I'd call it Point Landslide.
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Old 05-25-17, 10:39 AM
  #106  
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Saw this pic and some video footage in the NYT. Looks as though several places along this stretch are equally vulnerable.
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Old 05-26-17, 05:15 AM
  #107  
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Originally Posted by spinnaker
I am afraid that the Big Sur section of Hwy1 is done for. The state is not going to be able to afford these constant repairs.
If true that is very sad. Riding the PC as a continuous route has been very popular and it does not look like there is a decent detour without going a very long way out of the way and travelling a long way inland.

I had been toying with riding the coast again later this year and this is very bad news to me. Given the slide and resulting detour I guess I'd be inclined to forgo doing the whole coast and just ride the Northern part that is still continuous. Since I wouldn't be able to do the whole coast any way, I'll probably skip Washington state too. Washington was my least favorite section on my previous PCH ride. That leaves me thinking of doing Astoria to San Francisco. While it is a much shorter ride than doing the whole PCH it is a beautiful ride.
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Old 05-26-17, 06:19 AM
  #108  
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Of course PCH will be rebuilt. There are only 5 countries in the world with economies larger than California's.
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Old 05-26-17, 06:58 AM
  #109  
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That'll buff right out.
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Old 05-26-17, 07:00 AM
  #110  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
That'll buff right out.
LOL beat me to it.
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Old 05-26-17, 07:12 AM
  #111  
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Originally Posted by axolotl
Of course PCH will be rebuilt. There are only 5 countries in the world with economies larger than California's.
I read in numerous on-line sources that California currently has an estimated $135,000,000,000 highway maintenance backlog. It would seem to be a question of where this project fits in the state's overall priorities.

BTW, there are only 9 countries in the world with an economy larger than Texas. A section of Texas Highway 87 along the Gulf Coast was destroyed by storms over twenty five years ago and has never been rebuilt.

Last edited by tcs; 05-26-17 at 07:33 AM.
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Old 05-26-17, 07:36 AM
  #112  
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They will rebuild. Might take a year. If the locals want to stay in business with their shacks along the road, they need to let people through. This thing about only letting locals pass is comical...like they own the place. They do not.
Southern Oregon coast puts the California coast to shame. Much more stunning beauty, better state parks, better camping. No weirdos claiming "this is our property, you cannot pass"
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Old 05-26-17, 08:51 AM
  #113  
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California has plenty of money to fix the PCH, just shut down the high-speed train boondoggle before it takes another dollar of transportation funds.
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Old 05-26-17, 12:43 PM
  #114  
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Don't get me started on the train to nowhere.
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Old 05-26-17, 02:56 PM
  #115  
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Originally Posted by staehpj1
If true that is very sad. Riding the PC as a continuous route has been very popular and it does not look like there is a decent detour without going a very long way out of the way and travelling a long way inland.

I had been toying with riding the coast again later this year and this is very bad news to me. Given the slide and resulting detour I guess I'd be inclined to forgo doing the whole coast and just ride the Northern part that is still continuous. Since I wouldn't be able to do the whole coast any way, I'll probably skip Washington state too. Washington was my least favorite section on my previous PCH ride. That leaves me thinking of doing Astoria to San Francisco. While it is a much shorter ride than doing the whole PCH it is a beautiful ride.
CA will need to decide if the money lost through tourism is worth not replacing the road. I don't fully agree with some of the posts above. While it might be fixed this time, if this keeps occurring CA is going to have a tough decision.

If that day ever comes it will be interesting to see what happens to property values in that section. My prediction is a precipitous drop in prices followed by prices going into the stratosphere while the ultra wealthy buy up property at bargain values.
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Old 05-26-17, 09:46 PM
  #116  
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That's what you get when it's bone dry for years and then all heck breaks loose. You don't mess around with Mother Nature.
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Old 05-27-17, 10:02 PM
  #117  
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Finally, a map:

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Old 08-07-17, 09:23 AM
  #118  
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So I rode a chunk of the "closed" section yesterday with my g/f and her friend. We parked on the road by Pfeiffer State Park, rode about a mile through the park, then hike-a-biked for a half mile up the trail (behind campground #31) to get around the closure.

From there it was smooth sailing! Traffic was extremely light, making it the chance of a lifetime. We took a leisurely pace and stopped often for pictures. We saw whales at 3 different spots! We turned around about 5 miles past the famous McWay Falls, giving us about 34/4100 for the day. We'll be going back soon to ride all the way to the southern closure near Gorda, which looks like about 73/7000.

Also, there is a bike/hike campsite in the park that looks pretty nice and has a shower. The bridge is supposed to be fixed by late September, so go soon if you want to have a quiet adventure!

Last edited by Doug M.; 08-07-17 at 12:51 PM.
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Old 08-07-17, 10:01 AM
  #119  
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Just charter a chopper like this guy:

https://forums.adventurecycling.org/...?topic=14745.0
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Old 08-07-17, 03:27 PM
  #120  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Just charter a chopper like this guy:

https://forums.adventurecycling.org/...?topic=14745.0
Now THAT is really cool.

I thought it was cool then I arranged for a boat ride across the Irondequoit Inlet near Rochester. Now I feel so empty.
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Old 08-08-17, 04:53 AM
  #121  
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Originally Posted by spinnaker
Now THAT is really cool.

I thought it was cool then I arranged for a boat ride across the Irondequoit Inlet near Rochester. Now I feel so empty.
I don't know. As Denis Leary once asked: "Stevie Ray Vaughn is dead and we can't get Bon Jovi near a helicopter?"
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Old 08-08-17, 09:07 AM
  #122  
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Originally Posted by Doug M.
...We parked on the road by Pfeiffer State Park, rode about a mile through the park, then hike-a-biked for a half mile up the trail (behind campground #31) to get around the closure...
Is this the trail that was built for the locals to bypass the closed bridge, or another trail?
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Old 08-08-17, 10:44 AM
  #123  
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Originally Posted by seeker333
Is this the trail that was built for the locals to bypass the closed bridge, or another trail?
I'm pretty sure the state park put it in for the locals. It's official!
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Old 08-09-17, 07:50 AM
  #124  
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Originally Posted by Doug M.
I'm pretty sure the state park put it in for the locals. It's official!
When the trail was first opened, it was reportedly only for locals use - meaning bicyclists had no way south beyond Pfeiffer Canyon.

This policy seems to have changed at some point, to which I alluded in this thread.

Last edited by seeker333; 08-09-17 at 03:18 PM.
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