Highway 1 closures at Pajaro River are expected to be fully lifted by Thursday morning.

A major connective road between Monterey and Santa Cruz counties is set to reopen tomorrow, Thursday, March 16, as floodwaters recede.

Highway 1 at the Pajaro River crossing has been closed since Sunday, March 12 due to flooding. The closure is between Salinas Road to the south (in Monterey County) and Highway 129 to the north (in Santa Cruz County). The river forms the county line. 

The southbound lanes are expected to reopen Wednesday evening, Caltrans reports, and northbound lanes are estimated to reopen by Thursday morning.

Structural engineers completed assessments and say the highway can accommodate traffic without restrictions. In the meantime, construction crews will continue working on the bridge, restoring the soil under bridge supports. There is no timeline as to when this will be completed. 

“This isn’t the end of our involvement with Highway 1,” Caltrans spokesperson Kevin Drabinski said at a press briefing on Wednesday. “Reopening the highway is a small but important part of this recovery, and we hope it takes some traffic off the surrounding roads.”

With a break in the rain and wind on Wednesday, March 15, crews had a chance to take a closer look at any damage done. 

“The rain subsided, but we’re still discovering slides and potholes. Sometimes, we can make repairs on the spot,” Drabinski said. 

Highway 1 throughout Big Sur is still a concern. While they are addressing smaller issues, crews are still assessing larger, weather-related problems resulting in a hard closure of the highway in both directions at Paul's Slide. Highway 1 remains closed to thru-traffic from the north at Deetjen's Inn.

Smaller roads and streets throughout Monterey County are still being assessed by the county Public Works Department and various city public works departments, and are being reopened day by day as it is deemed safe to do so. Immediate efforts are going toward downed lines and trees. Director of Monterey County Public Works Randell Ishii told reporters Wednesday that the priority is keeping the roads open and passable as much as possible.

“We are working expeditiously to get roads reopened,” Ishii said. “We recognize that some of the work is going to involve time and contracted effort to repair. Relief grants and funding will help us greatly.” 

In the future, travelers can expect more lane closures and delays over the next few months as Caltrans engineers continue to make repairs to Highway 1, bridges and surrounding roadways.