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Highway 1 Closed Due To Mudslides Near Big Sur

BIG SUR (KPIX 5) -- Huge mudslides are blocking a stretch of highway 1 in Big Sur.

Major damage from the storm has closed one of the most scenic highways in the world.

There is now massive cleanup, that's expected to take weeks.

California Highway Patrol officers set up a road block on highway 1 to turn around traffic because massive slides are still covering the road.

Caltrans geologists say this is one of several slides that are still blocking Highway 1 five days after they came down on Friday morning. This crew actually hiked to the top of the slide and they say the area around it is still very unstable.

CHP Officer Justin Roberts said, "The severity is big boulders the size of cars blocking the road. Big holes in the road from those big boulders."

Although road signs warning of the closure are posted as far back as Carmel, carloads of mostly tourists still try to get through but are disappointed.

Knight Lin, was visiting from New York and told KPIX 5, "We are trying to get to L.A. right now but the road is closed so we have to go back. We're losing about two hours. It's kind of frustrating."

The closure left vast stretches of one of the most scenic highways in the world completely empty. Bad news for Big Sur businesses.

Britt Reading at the Fernwood Café said, "There's no one coming through. You can look around here right now and no one's here."

She says some of her friends are filing for unemployment, that's because Caltrans says highway 1 is likely to be closed for at least three weeks.

In Big Sur, the state parks are all closed due to flooding damage.

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