Tom Lantos Tunnels back-up power system is in place, more to go

CA State Government/District 13, Senator Jerry Hill Press Release, "Utilities, State agencies and law inforcement make strong progress to improve power, internet and communication services for San Mateo County coastside communities", 7/6/19. 

Linda Mar district, night of 3/12/19

Tom Lantos Tunnels at Devil's Slide

....  A series of power and communication service outages beset coastal communities earlier this year. One of the power failures led to a lengthy closure of the Lantos Tunnels at Devil’s Slide, a crucial link for coastal communities and for motorists traveling to and from central San Mateo County. The tunnel closure revealed gaps in interagency communications. Taken together, the problems prompted community concerns about frequent utility outages, the length of time it took to resolve them and public safety.

....  Redundant lines to provide electrical power to the Tom Lantos Tunnels are now in place, according to PG&E’s Darin Cline, who attended the meeting. The improvement, he said, greatly reduces the likelihood of outages due to power failures, which can lead to closure of the tunnels.

....“We recognize that the Coastside is concerned about being cut off in the event of an emergency, and we have made some real progress to be sure that won’t happen,” said Supervisor Horsley. “Residents are also concerned about telephone and internet service, and we are working with the agencies to strengthen the network and connectivity.” 

Related Tom Lantos Tunnels articles.  Closure, and reopening, 3/12/19, 3/13/19: Pacifica Patch/CA News Wire Services, 3/13/19, Highway 1 open at Devils Slide Tunnels: CHP."  Fix Pacifica, 3/26/19: "Tom Lantos Tunnels has design failures."The Daily Journal/Zachary Clark, Staff, "Coastal traffic snafu spurs action , 3/21/19,"Tom Lantos Tunnels has design failures." Pacifica Tribune/Jane Northrop, Staff, "Traffic nightmare ensues after tunnel closure. Generators didn't last long and tree work on Highway 92 made it worse," 3/20/19. Follow-up. Pacifica Tribune, Staff, 7/17/19  (current week only), "The night the tunnel went dark. Redundant power lines now in place. "... Caltrans is exploring ways to secure an onsite power generating station to provide backup power to the tunnels in case PG&E needs to shut off power in the event of a major emergency, said Caltrans Bay Area Director Tony Tavares.  PG&E, AT&T and Comcast are all working on projects to increase the resilience of their systems. Caltrans, California Highway Patrol and Assistant Sheriff Gregory Rothaus and those agencies strengthened their interagency communication and cooperation."  Brief Tom Lantos Tunnels history/conflict,  S2ki.com forum, 3/31/13, ".... The tunnels opened to traffic on March 26, 2013."

Note graphic and photo. Eyes in the dark from Counter Currents/Muzamil, 7/22/16,"Kashmir blackout..." Tom Lantos Tunnels from flickr/bubbletea. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Highway 1 widening, short and long term suggestions

Pacifica Tribune/My Turn/Jim Wagner and Mark Stechbart, 1/19/17, "Highway 1 is Pacifica's lifeline."

Highway 1 solution: retaining wall, and widening.

"Monday’s (Jan. 9) massive traffic backup due to the slide north of the police station once again taught us the critical importance of Highway 1 to our safety, commute and school drop-offs. Thousands of people were late to work and meetings; school lessons were disrupted; plane flights were missed. Upwards of a two-hour commute out of town made a mess of everything.
Nextdoor erupted with comments. Concerns were expressed over the daily commute congestion in this stretch of road. With the loss of a lane due to the slide, people questioned how we would get out of town quickly and safely in the event of a major disaster.

The short answer is you won’t anytime soon. But we do have some suggestions.
The area where the slide took place is a vertical unstable rock and dirt cliff. A recipe for disaster. Notice the west side road cut opposite the slide area. The west side is contoured at an angle and planted. No slide here.
The solution is obvious: make sure City Council immediately takes action to cut back the east side to an angle and rock stability that stops slides. Install a nice painted and sculpted retaining wall that looks like the walls around the Devil’s Slide tunnel. No more grey concrete. The temporary white crash barriers currently installed to corral rock falls can then be removed.

The long-term Highway 1 commute solution is also obvious. We need to adopt the current plan of one more lane north and south to take cars turning to Vallemar School and up Fassler, and the cars turning north, out of the main two traffic lanes until the turning cars can merge.

The ongoing alternatives (no solutions),
and potential hazards awaiting disaster.

Without turning cars slowing everyone down in the two main lanes, we have a faster commute. This has been talked about for 35 years. Witness the 2006 letter from then Pacifica Mayor DeJarnett: “This segment experiences heavy congestion during both morning and evening commutes.... Traffic engineering professionals ... view the proposed project (widening) as the only viable solution to the worsening traffic congestion.”
Will the new City Council pay attention to the clear wake-up call of this slide-induced commute mess? Not clear. We expect another round of debate over alternatives. Take the bus, ride share, work at home, ride your bike. If those suggestions had merit, folks would already be using them.

The newest “alternative” that we think is grasping at straws is light timing. Modern tech can somehow rig two traffic lights in a fashion that cures the commute congestion.
This issue will be before Council soon. May 6, 2013 was the last time light timing was evaluated by city staff and the actual light timing company (In/Sync). Councilmember Sue Digre set the meeting up but neglected to attend. The city manager’s report from the meeting says: “(Insync) said that synchronization would not result in any improvement in traffic flow during the peak periods…. the solution was to pursue a capacity increased improvement.”
Déjà vue all over again. 2006 Pacifica mayor letter says widen. 2013 light timing meeting says widen.

Will this City Council break the pattern of ignoring the obvious? We commute in cars. We drop students off at Vallemar School in cars. One more lane each way means we have an easier commute. And we can fix an unstable cliff waiting to slide again. Pacifica just had a wake-up call. Time to pay attention."
"Pacifica Tribune Editor’s Note: Jim Wagner and Mark Stechbart are long-term Pacifica residents. The documents referenced in the above My Turn column can be obtained through Public Records."  

Permission to reprint text by Jim Wagner and Mark Stechbart
------------------
Related comment.  "Council to Waste a Quarter of a Million Dollars. So we are going to spend $250,000 of money, designated for fixing our highway, on a system (InSync) that won't work when we need it!!? The company itself says it won't work during peak hours. Who's brilliant idea is this? Oh, let me guess. Is it the same council member that failed to show up for her own meeting with this company where they told the city it won't work a few years ago? hmmmmm. This is crazy. Fix the highway and quit fooling around. It's a choke point and it's dangerous."  (Jim Wagner)
 

Related 1/9/17 mudslide news articles. NBC Staff, video, 1:29 minutes, "Mudslide closes portion of Highway 1 in Pacifica". KRON4 Staff, video 13:05 minutes, video 13:25 min "Landslide closes NB Hwy 1 in Pacifica."    Note 1/9/17 photographs. Vehicle back-up image to Emily Kirschenheuter KRON4 tweet. "Landslide closes NB Hwy 1 in Pacifica."  Mudslide image to NBC Bay Area/South Bay/Staff,"Weekend Storms Shut Down Highways in Bay Area." "A mudslide about 3 a.m. Monday closed lanes on Highway 1 in Pacifica at Reina Del Mar."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Pedro Point Headlands grant to rebuild one mile of trails

San Mateo County Times/Aaron Kinney, 8/7/15, "Pacifica: Pedro Point Headlands to get $1.5 million restoration."

"PACIFICA ... a roughly $1.5 million makeover, a key step in ... a continuous network of trails from Pacifica State Beach to Devil's Slide and the rural San Mateo County coast.

Saving the hills for native species,
and hiking and bicycle trails.

Previously there were motorcycle
trails, that didn't go well.

The nonprofit Pacifica Land Trust is preparing to rebuild more than a mile of trails along the Pedro Point Headlands, ...   that were damaged by motorcycles more than two decades ago. Advocates say it will complement the recently opened Devil's Slide trail.  .... The trust received a $1.1 million grant earlier this year from the California Department of Parks and Recreation to restore the old bike paths to a natural state. This week the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted to chip in $350,000 for the new trails.

Once the work is complete, the owners of the headlands, the city of Pacifica and the California Coastal Conservancy intend to transfer the land to the county to be operated as a park.  ....  Construction is expected to begin in 2016 and last two years. Meanwhile, the city of Pacifica and other stakeholders are planning to build a path that zigzags from Pacifica State Beach up to the headlands, closing a critical gap in the California Coastal Trail."  Read article.
  
Reference, the restoration grant -  State of CA/Off-Highway motor vehicular recreation grant request/Dinah Verbe, 4/7/14.  .... " I support the Pacifica Land Trust's preliminary application to restore the OHV damage on the Pedro Point Headlands in Pacifica (Project Type G13-04-62-R01)."

Reference, Pacifica Land Trust Environmental Conservation - Website,   Facebook, Land Trust Alliance,  Bay Nature (artists for change),  Pedro Point Headlands (State of CA Coastal Conservancy). 

Related news background articles - Pacifica Tribune, 8/14/12,  "Pacifica Land Trust and California Native Plant Society holds native plant hike to Pedro Point Headlands." ...."In 1992, the Pacifica Land Trust acquired title to the Pedro Point Headlands, and has been engaged in the slow process of arresting and binding the wounds of the deep gullies from years of motorcycle use and erosion. Since late 2009 the stewardship efforts have removed ten's of thousands of invasive species, widened trails, planted several slide areas and greatly improved the native habitat there as a result of a Coastal Conservancy-funded stewardship project."  

Pacifica Patch/Christa Bigue/Staff, 5/7/13, "Pedro Point Headlands Have Come a Long Way, an article in Bay Nature magazine..." "A recent article in Bay Nature magazine features this tremendous undertaking by taking a look at the transformation of the landscape and Pedro Point’s varied and interesting history from when the Headlands served as the stomping grounds of a motorcycle club in the 1960s to when the Pacifica Land Trust took over the land in 1995. The article also credits the Devil’s Slide tunnel project for potentially bringing spillover funds for parking and improved trail access and recognizes the habitat restoration at Pedro Point as coming largely thanks to a dedicated, grassroots group: the Pedro Point Headlands stewardship project, which was formed in 2009. This project is sponsored by the Pacifica Land Trust (in coordination with the Pedro Point Community Association) and is funded by a grant to the Land Trust from the California Coastal Conservancy."

Related tourism articles. " Yelp, Pedro Point Headlands.  Hidden SF/Mike S., 10/14/15, "San Pedro Point Headlands, Pacifica, CA".  Related conservation ideology.  Pacifica Land Trust/Conservation in a changing climate, "Restoration and managed retreat of Pacifica State Beach". ...."restore wetlands and work toward a managed retreat strategy for Pacifica State Beach." 

Note Pedro Point Headlands photographs. Land restoration work from Pacifica Patch/Christa Bigue/Staff, 5/7/13. Wide trails by Mike S./Hidden SF from related articles above.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

The accident that stopped Highway 1 traffic Sunday, 7/19/15

Pacifica Tribune, 7/21/15, "Devil's Slide accident closed road." 

Tunnels, south side

"An accident just south of Devil's Slide tunnel quickly snarled traffic in both directions Sunday afternoon at 12:49 p.m.  A Chevrolet pick-up truck flipped over in the two-vehicle accident that also involved a Toyota Celica, said Officer Daniel Russo of California Highway Patrol. The Toyota Celica was moderately damaged, Russo said.

One driver with no obvious injury complained of general pain and was transported to the hospital by North County Fire Authority, Russo said. "When you experience a rollover, we like to make sure you are checked out by a doctor," Russo said.  The road was closed in both directions until the accident was cleared at 2:22 p.m."

Related article - CBS San Francisco local, 7/19/15,"Multi-car crash in Devil's slide Tunnel temporarily closes Highway 1"  ...."A Sig-alert was issued for Highway 1 in both directions at 1:35 p.m. It was cancelled at 2:22 p.m., however, traffic was still moving slowly, according to the CHP."

 Note photograph: Driving the south side of Devil's Slide/Tom Lantos tunnels is from Hippo blog/Devil's Slide. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Highway 1 improvement studies, Midcoast Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay Review/Julia Reis, 3/5/15.  "County meeting focuses on Highway 1 alternatives."

The Devil's Slide closure
alternative was a tunnel.

Highway 1 Coastside, "no traffic",
but build the medians and the
widening alternatives anyway.

A raised median at Mirada Road, a painted median at Montara’s 16th Street and a pedestrian crosswalk at Gray Whale Cove are among the new design alternatives released online for the Highway 1 congestion and safety improvement project. ....  Raised medians are present in several design alternatives, as is proposed highway widening. Hinkamp said these drawings are still preliminary, but the county wants to recognize the likelihood that widening would be necessary, depending on Caltrans’ feedback.

Caltrans found that the current speed limits of 50 mph and 45 mph in the two highway segments tested should be retained since average speed nearly equaled or exceeded the speed limit when the survey was conducted. A rounded curb design for the raised medians would allow planners to keep current speed limits, Hinkamp said.  Read article.

Reference, highway, transportation management (regional relationship to Pacifica) - Midcoast Community Council (MCC).  County of San Mateo/Planning and Building Department, 12/10/14, pdf pages 119, "Briefing on the Comprehensive Transportation Management Plan ("Connect the Coastside"), file PLN 2014-00430.  Pacifica is included in the report: Sam Trans fixed service route, table 4, page 23, figure 2, page 25; bicycle facilities, figure 3, page 28; pedestrian facilities, figure 4, page 33, parking facilities figure 5, page 36; pedistrian and bicycle collisions (2005-11), figure 6 page 43; CTMP Study Area, figure 7, computer page 119.  

Note photographs:  Highway 1 road closure Devil's Slide Recreation area by Kurt Rogers, San Francisco Chronicle (SF Gate).  Coastside Highway 1 traffic, face page Image from Half Moon Bay Review/Mavericks, 1/3/13.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Evil Caltrans and CHP to close El Diablo's Slide Tunnels at 10 PM Friday night

By Michael Cabanatuan

Updated 10:58 am, Thursday, December 4, 2014

The rains have nothing to do with it this time, but Highway 1 will again be closed at Devil’s Slide — for six hours late Friday and early Saturday.

Caltrans and the CHP will shut both bores of the Lantos Tunnel from 10 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Saturday for state-mandated emergency response drills.

The closure will repeat an all-too-familiar scenario, albeit briefly and in a planned manner this time, that led to the construction of the Devil’s Slide Tunnel, which opened in March 2013.

Before the tunnel opened, the precarious two-lane stretch of highway was often closed — sometimes for months — when heavy rains saturated the unstable cliffs, pulled the pavement toward the Pacific and dropped boulders onto the highway.

Read more...

Posted by Steve Sinai

Pacifica Chamber of Commerce promotes this city

Pacifica Tribune/My Turn, 6/26/14.  "Insight into what Pacifica Chamber does to support our city economy" by Chris Porter

New store front businesses gets our ribbon cutting

"There have been many letters and posts to blogs regarding the Pacifica Chamber of Commerce and why they should even be considered for a $10,000 stipend from the city of Pacifica. The city of Pacifica was funding the Visitors Center, which is open weekends from May through November. Just the payroll for this time frame far exceeds $10,000. 

Within the past 12 months, the chamber has developed Pacifica's visitor website, VisitPacifica.com; launched the mobile app, iPacifica; centralized the community calendar on the website and the iPacifica app; hired a public relations firm to market local hotels and Pacifica; hosted two groups of travel writers on three-day stays within the city, which resulted in coverage in or on VIA magazine (AAA), Travel and Leisure, Senior Living and Diablo Magazine, SF Examiner and Contra Costa Times newspapers, eGloral Travel media, ontravel.com, Postcardsforyou.com, LocalGetaways.com, and KGO810News.

Contrary to stated as facts, our membership dues are not used for PAC activities, which are monies voluntarily contributed and earmarked by the business contributing such to go directly to the PAC, but used for the activities listed above. We have contributed to the new Devil's Slide Shuttle, which brings visitors into Pacifica to view the newest tunnel in California and then stay in our town for lunch or at least fill up their gas tank. We have revamped the kiosk in Rockaway Beach to show the latest activities and events in Pacifica. 

We provide tourists information and
internet advertising from our Rockaway office

This past Saturday we hosted Taste of Pacifica, which showcases the restaurants in this town and gives information on how to locate them and make reservations. The event was a sell out with many people coming from out of town to sample our culinary cuisine. This "private organization," as you call it, brings people into this town who spend dollars, which helps the city and our entire community, not just our members.

We do what we can to grow business 

Do you want to target and reach all demographic groups for your business to be successful? The Pacifica Chamber of Commerce provides these 21st-century products and services to help our chamber member businesses succeed. If you feel there is worth to being in the directory, being on our website, being on the iPacifica app, and joining us in community events like the Taste of Pacifica, the Annual Golf Tournament, the Oktoberfest, and the Rockaway Tree Lighting, then join us. If not, do not negate the importance we bring to this city as its marketing arm. 

In 2011, the total transient occupancy tax (TOT) was $940,000, which increased to $1.1 million in 2012 with the 2 percent increase in the TOT voted in by the citizens. In 2013 the $1.1 million increased to $1.3 million through marketing Pacifica as a tourist destination by the chamber. It was always the understanding that the $10,000 funding the Chamber received came directly from the TOT tax and not the taxpayers pocket. 

We are just asking the citizens of Pacifica to give credit where credit is due. No one is promoting this city except the Chamber of Commerce."

Note:  in adapting the article reprint from the original Pacifica Tribune article, a title has been added, and the one paragraph text has been changed to several paragraphs.  Approval for printing the article in full has been allowed by Chris Porter.

Reference -  Pacifica Chamber of Commerce.

Note:  photographs:   Business opening ribbon cutting (Lovey's Tea Shoppe), from Pacifica Chamber of Commerce, 11/9/12. The business office from InfoUSA, posted on a Fix Pacifica article (Chamber annual award annual dinner, 2/12/12).  Superman helping from CNN, slide 2 of 8, in an article by Kevin Pilley, 6/6/13, "The town where Superman lives".  "Sometimes saving the world involves mundane tasks. Metropolis's resident Superman helps out with a little gardening."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Bicycle view riding down Devil's Slide Trail, and public transportation to the Park

Not racing you down this trail

View of the entire Trail.  "Coastsider joined the San Mateo County Parks Department’s media day for the new Devil’s Slide trail.  We recorded the descent from the top of the northern end of the slide to the south, coasting (almost) the whole way. We’ve added some notes to the video to give you some idea what the trip was like and what you’ll see on the trail. The video was recorded by Julia Parr, Age 12."  See bicycle view riding down Devil's Slide Trail by Julia Parr (video, 4:24 minutes).   Coastsider/Barry Parr, 3/25/14, "Video:  Coasting Devil's Slide."

----------

Public transportation.  "Parking at the new Devil’s Slide trail is limited, but there are two options for Coastsider who can’t drive there, or would prefer not to. 

Pacifica's weekend shuttle

SamTrans Route 17 has new bus stops at the trail’s head at the south end of the tunnel. Route 17 runs on Highway 1 between Pescadero and the Linda Mar Park and Ride lot in Pacifica. The new bus stops, on either side of Highway 1, are marked with new signs, which include bus stop identification numbers. The unique ID number can be used to get real-time bus departure information from 511 and 511.org.  Just call 511 and say “departures” and give the stop ID number.

The city of Pacifica offers a weekend shuttle which runs roughly hourly from various spots in town. See the schedule on the city’s website. The iPacifica app tracks the shuttle in real-time via GPS as it follows its route through 17 stops from the Devil’s Slide Trail at the south to Oceana Terrace / Good Shepherd in the north. More information is on the Devil’s Slide Ride Facebook Page."  Coastsider/Barry Parr, 3/27/14.  "SamTrans and Pacifica provide public transportation to the Devil's Slide trail." 

Note photographs - Bicycle riders on Devil's Slide Trail trail from a KQED/Science article, 3/25/14, and the transportation shuttle from the SamTrans/Pacifica route Coastsider article. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Devil's Slide trail opens today, the geology

Old coastal highway becomes a trail

KQED/Quest/the science of sustainability/Andrew Alden, 3/28/13. "The rocks of Devil's Slide"

"With the opening of the Lantos Tunnel this week at the notorious Devil's Slide on state Route 1, the work is not finished. The winding, vertiginous old road and the 70 acres of land it sits on will be handed over to San Mateo County, which has pledged to give it a makeover and splice it into the California Coastal Trail, adding a new attraction to the Devil's Slide Coast. The facilities will include parking lots at each end, water, bathrooms, trash bins, rails and pedestrian crossings.

Hikers and bicyclists will be thrilled with the high views up and down the coast. They may feel a tickle as they look at the surf hundreds of feet below. And some of them will feel curiosity as they look inland at the sides of the road, about 1.3 miles of it, that they could never stop and see before.

This stretch of road passes through two very different sets of rocks. The south end is the granite of Montara Mountain; I showed you some of this at Quarry Park in El Granada, a bit farther south, in 2011. It holds up the rugged headlands around the tunnel's mouth. It dates from Cretaceous time, just like the granite in the Sierra Nevada—and in fact it's the same stuff, ripped out of the range and pulled northward here by the San Andreas fault. The same granite is found as far north as Bodega Head and south to San Luis Obispo County (including Pinnacles and Fremont Peak, part of a sliver of tectonic plate that geologists know as the Salinian block."  Read more.

Submitted by Jim Wagner

Note:  photograph from the above KQED article.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Devil's Slide trail to opens March, 2014, volunteer guides will be interviewed and trained

Half Moon Bay Review/Julia Reis, 9/19/13. "Supervisors approve grant for Devil's Slide trail ambassadors.  Plan calls for volunteers to monitor recreation area."

Devil's Slide trail looking north

"The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors will accept a $15,000 grant from the California

Here's a map, stay away from the cliff, don't worry about bears

Coastal Conservancy for the Devil’s Slide trail ambassadors program if the conservancy board approves the expenditure at its meeting next month.  ....  More than half of the Coastal Conservancy grant would go toward two radios for volunteers so that they can communicate with park rangers.  The rest of the grant covers various types of equipment, such as vests, backpacks, first aid kits and brochures for volunteers to pass out.

....  The county will foot the bill for the recruitment and interview process of potential volunteers, as well as training about county parks and the Devil’s Slide site in particular. The grant will cover first aid and CPR training for 20 volunteers.

....   The Board of Supervisors approved nearly $2 million toward converting the highway into a public trail as part of the county’s 2012-13 budget."   Read article.  

Related article -  Coast View Magazine/Joe Devlin, 10/2012 edition, "The Devil's Slide California Coastal Trail." "The new leg of the California Coastal Trail is scheduled to occupy the 1.3 miles of Route 1 that will be closed to cars once the Devil’s Slide Tunnel opens. Caltrans promises to construct parking spaces, provide pedestrian and bike signals, and install trash cans, entry gates, water hookups, and a 4-foot-tall stainless steel cable fence on the cliff side of the trail to keep people on the trail without obstructing too much of the view. The California State Coastal Conservancy has pledged $500,000 to purchase and install bathrooms and other support facilities at the two ends of the tunnel. Once this work is done, ownership passes to the County of San Mateo Department of Parks, which has pledged another $2 million toward finalizing the park and hiring rangers to staff it.

Reference -  County of  San Mateo, Department of Parks, "Wild Places & Friendly Spaces."  That location news from  Devil's Slide coastal trail concept plan.  "Special Meeting to Consider Devil’s Slide Trail 90% Project Plans." " On August 29th, 2013, the San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Commission held a Special Meeting to consider the 90% project plans for the Devil’s Slide Trail Project."  The article includes the site concept  and presentation. Devil's Slide Coast Organization, includes an interactive area map.

Note  Photographs - Arial view of Devil's Slide from Caltrans,  KQED/Science, "The rocks of Devil's Slide."  Trail guide from Anthony's Audio Journal. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

A little more work to do on Devil's Slide tunnels, almost there

Half Moon Bay Review/Julia Reis, 8/1/13.  "Devil's Slide overnight tunnel work to conclude next month." Construction was anticipated when tunnel opened in March. 

Devil's Slide tunnels opened 3/25/13 substantially complete

....:  "This additional work was a part of the original tunnel contract and anticipated when the tunnel opened on March 25, according to Caltrans spokesman Robert Haus. In an email, he wrote that some of the work that has been completed during overnight closures could not have been finished prior to traffic in the tunnels. Opening the tunnel later than March was not considered as an alternative to overnight work, Haus said.

“The construction of the cul-de-sac and parking areas, which are located along the existing Highway 1 alignment, could not be done until traffic was off the old road and into the tunnels,” Haus said. “There are also electrical conduits, light poles, and drainage facilities that had to be installed after tunnel opening, as the footprint of these items would have been in the existing Highway 1 roadway.”

Haus added that additional paving was required because the roadway alignment was not permanently set when the tunnel opened."   Read more.

Related Fix Pacifica Devil's Slide articles.  Note:  photograph from KQED, Quest, 3/25/13,"At last Devil's Slide Tunnels Open." The look back includes a drive through video, 1:09 minute.

Posted by Kathy Meeh