Here's what a new Highway 1 bridge in Big Sur will look like, and it may open in September - Los Angeles Times
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Here’s what a new Highway 1 bridge in Big Sur will look like, and it may open in September

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Remember that Highway 1 bridge that sank into the hillside in Big Sur? Caltrans announced Wednesday that a $24-million replacement bridge could be open to the public as soon as September.

The Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge, a few miles south of Big Sur Station, failed and shut down Highway 1 to all traffic on Feb. 15. The 1967 span was demolished in March, leaving a gap in the roadway that temporarily cuts Highway 1 into two parts.

The area has been off limits to travelers intent on driving the scenic coastal route.

(Check out this Caltrans video of the bridge demolition.)

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The new bridge will rise 320 feet above the canyon and use steel girders instead of columns that could be damaged in future landslides, a Caltrans statement says. Heavy rains caused the original bridge’s cement columns to buckle and sink into the hillside.

After the bridge was demolished, a footpath was built to provide access only for local residents in the Big Sur area. The new bridge is expected to be open to the public in mid- to late-September, the statement says.

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But Highway 1 has other storm-related problems too.

Storm damage and landslides have kept three other parts of the road south of the failed bridge — Ragged Point, Mud Creek near Gorda and Paul’s Slide near Lucia — closed to all traffic. There is no time estimate yet on when these spots will open to the public.

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