Palo Colorado Road Repair Project

Location

Big Sur, CA

City or County Responsible for Project

Monterey County

Category

Roads: Efficient and Sustainable Road Maintenance, Construction and Reconstruction Projects.

Author

Enrique Saavedra PE

Organization

County of Monterey

Address

20 East Alisal Street, Salinas, CA 93901

Phone

831.755.8970

Project Description

Big Sur suffered a historic one-two punch in 2016: The summer’s three-month-long Soberanes Fire was followed by a record-breaking rainy season. In the winter, with soil loosened by the fire, debris came down the mountain as runoff and clogged the culverts where Palo Colorado Road crosses Rocky Creek and Brandon Creek. The creek eventually blew out part of the road—cutting off 60 homes from stores, schools and workplaces. Governor Brown, followed quickly by President Trump, declared the area, along with many others impacted by the weather, a disaster. Monterey County Public Works (County) quickly addressed the emergency by establishing repairs along the half mile stretch of road as it raced to develop a permanent solution that would restore the road and improve crossings at both Rocky and Brandon Creeks. The County quickly implemented temporary bridges as well as placing riprap to convey the fast moving flow from Rocky Creek in order to protect the remaining roadway so that cutoff residents still had limited access to outside resources. These temporary bridges would remain intact throughout construction and provided a vital resource for residents and if needed, emergency personnel. The County maintained a close working relationship with the community and extensive outreach helped both keep residents informed on progress and provided a venue for their necessary feedback. The County, with the help of Harris & Associates, successfully navigated FEMA reimbursement funding for the Palo Colorado Road Repair Project and completed the environmental review process in this environmentally sensitive area during a time that the Country was experiencing catastrophic disasters in Texas (Hurricane Harvey), Florida (Hurricane Irma & Jose) and Puerto Rico (Hurricane Maria); FEMA was spread extremely thin. The resulting new, wider, culvert will set this area up for success and has the ability to withstand similar severe weather events while maintaining the integrity of the creek and the sensitive habitat within. Residents can now rest easy that this disaster won’t happen again.