By 2025, it will not be possible to drive all of Highway 1 in California

Driving along California’s Highway 1 through Big Sur offers unparalleled ocean views from a road carved through several coastal cliffs – a precarious geography that has made it difficult to keep the entire stretch of the scenic highway open.

Since January 2023, there have been closures along sections of the highway due to several rock falls and landslides. And despite efforts by transportation officials, it won’t be possible to fully navigate the roughly 100-mile road between Carmel and Cambria until sometime in 2025.

According to the California Department of Transportation, repairs to a section of Highway 1 near the community of Lucia have been delayed due to new landslide movements, pushing back plans that would have allowed uninterrupted travel on Highway 1.

The 6.8-mile section — which begins south of the Esalen Institute and ends north of Lucia — remains closed around the remains of Regent’s Slide, which spilled an estimated 300,000 cubic yards of earth, rocks and other debris across the roadway on Feb. 9 hurled during one of the most intense atmospheric river storms of the year.

Caltrans officials emphasized that much of Big Sur’s coastline outside of this challenging stretch is “accessible and open,” a news release said. Views of Big Sur, restaurants and amenities are accessible from either the north or south, and no businesses or communities were completely cut off by Regent’s slide, said Kevin Drabinski, a spokesman for Caltrans.

In mid-August, crews working on Regent’s slide discovered new cracks in the slope where excavation and construction were underway and halted repairs, an August update from Caltrans said.

“In the weeks since this update, persistent land movement and slope cracking have been observed during intensive project monitoring and investigation,” Caltrans officials said recently. To resume repair work, Caltrans crews plan to continue monitoring the area until “crews and equipment can be positioned on stable ground.”

Drabinski said in August that repairs to Regent’s slide were expected to be completed by late fall. However, Caltrans’ most recent update said the repairs would no longer be completed this year and that the agency would provide a new estimate and updates “periodically.”

Regent’s slide originated approximately 450 feet above the roadway, with debris burying the roadway and extending to the ocean. Caltrans crews have been working to clear and stabilize the area for months, but Drabinski said it was particularly challenging because of the height and steepness of the slope.

When the slide is finally repaired, Highway 1 will be open for direct travel between Cambria and Carmel – something that hasn’t been possible in nearly two years.

Most of the scenic highway has been reopened after damage from back-to-back years of extremely heavy rain, including two more landslides around Regent’s Slide and a rockslide near Rocky Creek Bridge.