A massive chunk of Highway 1 collapsed in California after a winter storm that pounded the region with heavy rain and snow.
According to a statement released on Friday by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) the roadway’s drainage infrastructure was overwhelmed by a debris flow on the hillside above the segment of Highway 1 at Rat Creek, just south of Big Sur.
The debris flow was first discovered on Thursday afternoon by Caltrans crews. A construction company from nearby San Luis Obisbo County was called, but by Friday morning it was too late. The crews arrived at the scene to discover that the roadway had fallen into the sea below.
“Some time overnight, prior to 6:30 this morning, we responded back to the scene with the assistance of Caltrans access and realized that the roadway is now gone,” said California Highway Patrol Officer John Yerace on Friday.
This isn’t the first time that the area has been affected by slides. In 2017, a massive stretch of the highway was closed after a quarter of a mile of it was covered in boulders. That particular mudslide added 13 acres to the coastline and took nearly a year to repair.
Crews have yet to determine how long repairs will take on the most recent collapse, but judging from the footage, it’s going to be closed for a while.
