Part of California Highway 1 collapses, stranding cars and cars

A section of California’s scenic Highway 1 caved in during Easter weekend storms, forcing a closure near Big Sur and stranding motorists who were urged to avoid the road, authorities said.

A collapse occurred during heavy rain Saturday afternoon near the Rocky Creek Bridge, about 17 miles (27 kilometers) south of Monterey, causing large chunks of asphalt to roll into the ocean from the southbound side of the two-lane highway.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) said the highway was closed in both directions in the mountainous area of ​​California’s central coast as engineers assessed the damage.

“We are working on a plan to get motorists out of the area,” the California Highway Patrol said Saturday.

Crews determined it was safe to travel in the northbound lanes around noon Sunday and authorities began regularly escorting motorists around the damaged stretch of road. About 300 vehicles were waiting to head north as officials led the first convoy through the area, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Some stranded motorists spent the night in their cars, while others sought refuge in nearby Big Sur hotels, the newspaper said.

Caltrans spokesman Kevin Drabinski said crews will continue to conduct regular convoys in the coming days to shore up the highway, which has other closures due to rocks and debris in the lanes. He urged people to avoid the area.

This famous route is often closed during bad weather due to landslides, mudslides and rockslides.

The slow-moving storm brought heavy rain to lower elevations, with more than a foot (0.3 meters) of snow falling at Sierra Nevada ski resorts around Lake Tahoe.

National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Kittell said the system was typical for March but was not an atmospheric river like many other storms that have hit the state during the recent winter.

The storm left the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday and “traveled directly along the California coast,” bringing most of the rain to the Los Angeles area, Kittle said.

The storm then settled over Southern California and is expected to linger into Sunday night or Monday. Showers and thunderstorms are still possible in parts of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, with the possibility of lightning and damaging winds.