Another massive landslide cuts off Hwy 1 access to Big Sur

BIG SUR, Calif. (KGO) -- With Memorial Day Weekend coming up, the Big Sur area would normally be a popular tourist destination. But another massive landslide hit Highway 1 this past weekend, cutting off access even more.

Video shows a quarter of a mile of hillside give way, unleashing one million tons of rock and dirt -- most of it dropping 250 feet into the ocean. The rest buried a quarter mile of Highway 1 in debris.

Luckily, no one was hurt. Crews and equipment pulled out one week ago.

A Caltrans picture taken from one end of the slide shows engineers just starting to assess the damage. They expect the repairs will take months, if not longer.

"It should be easy if the roadway is still there, not easy but not as complicated as in the roadway is missing, which we think might be the case," Caltrans spokesperson Susana Cruz said.

The latest slide follows the demolition of Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge at Big Sur. A massive slide in January damaged that span beyond repair.

The replacement is set to open in September.

For now, 50 miles of Highway 1 from Big Sur in the north to Ragged Point in the south is pretty much off limits.

Drivers can get to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, which has just partially reopened.

After the slide this past weekend, the coastline at Mud Creek now has a skirt protruding from it. That wasn't there before -- it's what happens when five slides combine into one.

Engineers warn that we may see more before the seasonal danger is over.

Click here for more stories about recent landslides.