Caltrans on Wednesday wrapped up air operations at the large landslide on Highway 101 north of Leggett that has been causing delays since April, named the Horseshoe Slide, its District 1 office reported.
Contractors were draping a cable mesh net over the Horseshoe Slide on Wednesday afternoon, delivered by helicopter, which one driver said stopped highway traffic for 45 minutes.
The net will keep loose debris from falling onto the highway, according to Caltrans. Its District 1 office posted on Facebook Thursday afternoon that contractors no longer need to use special equipment to repair the slide.
When asked about the alternative of building a realignment, or bridge, a Caltrans spokesman responded in the comments section of the post that it would cost several times what it is costing to maintain the road and take several years.
“Since this problem is dealt with, it doesn’t make much sense to spend millions and millions to build (at minimum) two new structures, conduct years of surveys, cut into tree stands, and build on other slopes that may experience the same kind of slide event,” he wrote.
The Horseshoe Slide initially closed the highway on April 18 as a result of winter storms. A second slide on April 25 closed the road again for one day. The area impacted by the slide has only been open to one-way traffic since then.
The delays were said to be about 40 minutes before Thursday, and Caltrans said they should only be 10 to 15 minutes during work hours from now on. Work will continue to be done on the ground, and Caltrans said it hopes to have that portion of the highway open to two-way traffic — during off-hours — by Labor Day.
