Scenic Highway 1 near Big Sur to reopen this summer Feb. 26, 2021 5 AM PT Print Caltrans is estimating it can reopen Highway 1 — and reconnect Southern California with Big Sur and points beyond — by early summer. The highway closed Jan. 28 after a 150-foot section at Rat Creek was washed out by heavy rains that caused debris flow at the creek in Monterey County. A 150-foot section on Highway 1 collapsed. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) In a news release Thursday, Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin said, “We’re focused on restoring travel on this section by early summer.” The repair cost is estimated at $11.5 million, involving “the manipulation of tens of thousands of cubic yards of material.”