Caltrans prepares to reopen washed-out section of Highway 1 Friday

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) Caltrans announced that it will be reopening a washed-out section of Highway 1 south of Big Sur on Friday, a week earlier than originally announced.

Caltrans: Highway 1 at Rat Creek to reopen to traffic April 30

The roadway will reopen at noon for the first time since it was washed out during January storms. There is still a closure in place from two miles north of the area to three miles south.

Portion of Highway 1 slides out during storm

There will still be some road work in the area, but Caltrans said construction phases have been ordered in a way that allows for it to reopen while work continues. Over the coming months, Caltrans said crews will install a permanent guardrail, construct headwalls at culvert inlets, work on final grading features and place erosion control measures on both sides of the road.

One part of the construction that has not started yet is a tunneling operation to install a 10 foot diameter, one-inch thick steel pipe culvert to improve water flow capacity during storms.

Since the section of road washed out on Jan. 28, Caltrans said crews have worked at the site seven days a week during daylight hours, which has allowed them to reopen Highway 1 at Rat Creek in 86 days. The agency said weather conditions have also helped them move quickly. Construction was briefly halted when the body of a woman was found at the construction site.

Templeton woman found dead at Highway 1 construction site

While construction continues over the next few months, Caltrans says drivers can expect some delays as they do intermittent traffic control.