Caltrans announced that Highway 1 at in Big Sur is reopening April 23 at noon, even sooner than the agency had previously expected.

The new opening is a week ahead of what was previously announced, and months ahead of what the agency originally estimated. Pacific Coast Highway has been fully closed near Rat Creek, north of San Luis Obispo County, since a Jan. 28 post-fire debris flow washed 150 feet of road into the Pacific Ocean, and crews have worked seven days a week for 86 days to reopen the highway.

Construction on the road will continue over the next few months, even as motorists return to the road. Permanent guardrails will replace the K-rail being used at the moment, and additional projects include the construction of headwalls at the culvert inlets, final grading features and the placement of erosion control measures on both sides of the highway.