The Big Sur “Island” will be no more when the new Pfeiffer Canyon bridge reopens next Friday.
Caltrans spokesperson Jim Shivers says there will be a ribbon cutting and the bridge will be open on Oct. 13.
“It is a full opening in both directions,” he says. “Typically when these projects are completed, Caltrans and their contractors are out of the way.”
The bridge, which is located just south of Big Sur Station on Highway 1, was damaged beyond repair after heavy storms in February caused a landslide that cracked a support column.
“This was a huge job, " says Shivers. He notes that projects life Pfeiffer Canyon bridge take years to complete, but they've managed to do it within seven months. "This was an emergency situation, so we were able to streamline the project.”
Businesses south of the bridge closure, including Deetjen’s Inn, Ventana Inn and others will be reopening and ready for business, says Nepenthe restaurant’s owner Kirk Gafill.
“The community south of the bridge can resume more of a normal level of life,” he says. “We’ll have freedom of access.”
Nepenthe had stayed open during the road closure due to a mile-long hiking path, but the new bridge will help everyone have more business.
"We’re projecting upwards of 85-percent of normal business,” Gafill says. “The larger message is that Big Sur is, for all intents and purposes, back open.”