Trees falling from the top of the slide. Video from Caltrans.
The section of Route 1 that was shut down almost two months ago due to active slides west of Leggett, isn’t reopening anytime soon.
Caltrans reports that while one slide is mostly cleaned up in the area, another is still spilling mud and rock across the roadway.
A video posted by Caltrans yesterday shows crews encountering trees crashing down the hillside from more than 120 feet up.
The roadway is also sinking and Caltrans isn’t quite sure why.
“One lane of the roadway has begun to sink,” Caltrans wrote on Facebook. “We do not know why … It may be that we will find that section was originally built on fallen logs, a practice that was common at one time.”
The road will have to be excavated so Caltrans can determine the cause. Read more from Caltrans below.
Caltrans Facebook post:
Update on the Route 1 closure just west of Leggett The two slides will be referred to as the near slide (Postmile 104, the closest to Leggett), and the far slide (Postmile 103).
The near slide was active Friday when these photos were taken, with several inches of mud and rock flowing across the highway. This slide is deceptive: from the roadway you cannot fully see the extent of the slide.
We hiked up over 120’ next to the slide to get photos and video that you cannot otherwise see. While we were there trees came down from the top of the slide.
The far slide is stable and cleaned up well, but one lane of the roadway has begun to sink. We do not know why, but the roadway will be excavated to determine why it is sinking. It may be that we will find that section was originally built on fallen logs, a practice that was common at one time.