BIG SUR >> After Caltrans installed nine pre-cast concrete girders at the Rocky Creek slip-out repair site on Highway 1 during a 24-hour period over the weekend, the roadway has been reopened and access to Big Sur restored.

The girder installation required an extended closure of Highway 1 from Saturday night to Sunday night so that crews could use two heavy cranes on both ends of the project area to perform the tasks. The installation of the nine pre-cast concrete girders advances the construction of a viaduct to replace a section of the southbound lane lost due to a slip-out that occurred in March.

Rocky Creek is located 12 miles south of Carmel where the slip-out occurred just south of Rocky Creek Bridge on Highway 1 — post mile 60 — resulting in the undermining of the southbound lane. Emergency stabilization measures by Caltrans crews have been achieved and one-way, 24-7, signalized traffic control was established to allow traffic to flow freely south to businesses in Big Sur.

“In the immediate aftermath of the March 30 slip-out, crews worked for several weeks to stabilize the remaining portion of the southbound lane,” said Caltrans District 5 spokesman Kevin Drabinski in a previous report. “Once stabilized, crews begin to design the emergency repair which aims to restore the roadway to two full travel lanes. The design calls for the building of a viaduct, a feature that is relatively common throughout Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast. Viaducts are frequently employed to bridge distances where the slope might naturally fall away and support is required below the roadway.”

The emergency project continues with the construction of a viaduct to support the roadway and repairs to a concrete seawall at the base of the cliff.

Crews drilled and cast reinforced concrete columns to support the weight of the viaduct structure in advance of the installation of the girders. Drabinski said the design of the viaduct involves support from the two ends as well as two support columns in the middle which make for a three-span design.

Three girders were placed across three spans totaling nine concrete girders ranging from 45 to 65 feet in length that were installed during the 24-hour closure.

Prior to the girder installation, other construction-related tasks over the last several months included crews drilling holes, lowering rebar cages inside and pouring concrete to create the support columns, said Drabinski. The concrete girders will serve as the support structure for the southbound lane of the viaduct bridge deck.

“After the girders are installed, the schedule calls for the bridge deck to be paved,” said Drabinski previously. “At that point, traffic will switch over to the southbound lane through the project site, and the process of building the viaduct in the northbound lane will begin.”

The contractor for this project is Gordon N. Ball, Inc. of Alamo. The estimated price tag for the repair work at the Rocky Creek slip-out is $21 million.

Though Highway 1 to Big Sur is open, the coastal highway remains closed south of Big Sur.

Highway 1 remains closed at Regent’s Slide, 40 miles south of Carmel due to the Regent’s Slide — post mile 27.8 — which occurred March 9 and where top-down removal of slide material by crews began on April 30.

Challenging conditions associated with the extreme slope at the site and continued slide activity has extended its reopen date, however, the vast majority of the Big Sur coast remains accessible and open.

Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: X/Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.