Highway 17 gets new net to prevent rock slides

On Tuesday, crews completed construction of a new rock wall net alongside Highway 17 at Vine Hill Road to keep falling rocks from reaching the roadside below, according to Devin Porr with Caltrans.

The new wall is located at the same place that rock slides, caused by a series of Pacific storms, forced temporary closures of the highway last week.

The purpose of the net is to catch beach ball-size rocks and other debris that might come rolling down the embankment, Porr said. The net won’t stop large slides like last week’s but it’s expected to prevent accidents.

“We are installing a temporary rock fall fence meant to protect the roadway from any material that might come down,” Porr said. “This system is meant to keep it (rocks) on the shoulder and keep it from actually hitting the road.”

As crews worked to install the net, a towering redwood on Vine Hill Road was brought down piece by piece by Davey’s Tree Service.

“There was a (land) slide on the side of the tree which has undercut the tree,” said Larry Keller, whose home was just feet away from the roughly 200-foot, 200-year-old Redwood, but as the tree came down he was calm.

“There’s nothing there that can hurt me,” Keller said. “I can get to my home now.” Keller said that the soil beneath two other trees was loose after the area was hammered with heavy rains. Those trees will also be removed because they aren’t safe.

“It’s not unusual to see slides and trees come down but this is usual,” Keller said.

As more rain heads toward the Central Coast, Keller says he is prepared and is not too concerned with delays even on Highway 17.

“In all the years I’ve lived here, which is like 26 or something years, only once have I not been able to get to work,” he said.

According to Caltrans, Highway 17 has several places that are prone to slides, so it advises driving carefully, especially during the upcoming rains.