Caltrans planning to shore up Highway 1 near Gleason Beach

Caltrans is moving forward with a different strategy to shore up Highway 1 near Gleason Beach, one officials hope will speed up re-opening of the highway to two-way traffic.

The new strategy involves stabilizing the slope near the point of erosion, as well as the roadway to prevent further erosion, Caltrans spokesman Allyn Amsk said.

The work, which is scheduled to begin Monday, is expected to be completed in six to eight weeks, he said.

Caltrans installed a signal for one-way traffic control at the site in June. The result has been delays of 5 to 10 minutes for up to 4,900 drivers daily who travel the coastal highway during peak season.

Caltrans has spent several years designing a major realignment that would shift a roughly three-quarter-mile stretch of road 400 feet inland. But after maintenance crews discovered March 11 that erosion had reached the fog line, the agency initiated planning on an interim project that included moving a shorter length of highway - roughly 1,000 feet in length - about 14 feet eastward until construction could begin on the longer-term solution, anticipated in 2019.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.