BajaNomad - NB/SB Hwy 1 (toll road) Closed at La Mision due to road collapse (pictures)

NB/SB Hwy 1 (toll road) Closed at La Mision due to road collapse (pictures)

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bacquito - 12-27-2013 at 08:06 PM

http://www.ensenada.net/noticias/nota.php?id=32499

This highway in forever having problems. The libre is easier to travel.

[Edited on 12-28-2013 by BajaNomad]

bajadock - 12-28-2013 at 05:34 AM

Thanks Bacquito. Friends reported 1 hour waits each way on Friday. They said Free Road was also under construction Friday.

J.P. - 12-28-2013 at 08:53 AM

In that Section of Highway there is a Serious Geological Fault for some time back they have Ben working 24/7 pouring Concrete and Asphalt into the Ever widening crevice
Its probably time to abandon that section and move inland.

Alternative? Tecate thru GV?

Whale-ista - 12-28-2013 at 08:59 AM

It's the stretch between the mirador and toll booth, yes?

This section is constantly sliding down. Scenic but slippery.

If the free road detour from La mision is also under repair, is this a good time for a leisurely drive from Tecate to Guadalupe valley?

Google translation

durrelllrobert - 12-28-2013 at 09:06 AM

A stretch of scenic road Tijuana-Ensenada over 30 inches just sank
Area faults.

It is estimated that the waiting time to cross the road from kilometer 93 is two hours.

Personal Federal Roads and Bridges (Capufe)

attends the emergency.

NB/SB Hwy 1 Closed at La Mision due to seismic activity (pictures)

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 09:48 AM

Take the free road through La Mision. Repair work to begin today (Dec. 28th) along Hwy 1 due to recent seismic activity.

[Edited on 12-28-2013 by Ken Cooke]

woody with a view - 12-28-2013 at 09:50 AM

WOW! where'd the pics come from?

http://www.proteccioncivilbc.gob.mx

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 09:53 AM

AVISO PARA LOS QUE SALEN O VAN A ENSENADA. (7 photos)
SE LES INFORMA QUE EL TRAMO CARRETERO DE CUOTA LA MISION - SAN MIGUEL EN AMBOS SENTIDOS SE ENCUENTRA CERRADO, SOLAMENTE TRAFICO LOCAL, POR DESLIZAMIENTO DEL TERRENO A LA ALTURA DEL KM 93, DONDE SE ENCUENTRA UNA DE LAS FALLA SISMICAS.

HACEMOS LAS SIGUIENTES RECOMENDACIONES: A LOS QUE SALEN DE TIJUANA TOMEN LA CARRETERA LIBRE A LA ALTURA DE LA MISION, LOS QUE VIENEN DE MEXICALI USEN LA CARRETERA LIBRE TECATE - ENSENADA, PARA LOS QUE SALEN DE ENSENADA UTILICEN LA CARRTERA LIBRE HASTA LA MISION, MIENTRAS DURE LAS REPARACIONES DEL LUGAR.

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 09:58 AM

The damage wasn't as widespread yesterday:

http://www.elvigia.net/general/2013/12/27/conductores-varado...

durrelllrobert - 12-28-2013 at 10:13 AM

OMG! Looks like north and south bound will be closed for a VERY long time. Hope nobody was seriously injured.

See Kens post above for this mornings pictures fro helicopter..

durrelllrobert - 12-28-2013 at 10:35 AM

Much more damage overnight. Hope nobody was seriously injured.

watizname - 12-28-2013 at 10:39 AM

Free road is now 'backed up' with heavy traffic

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 10:48 AM

No hay paso en la Escénica a partir de La Fonda...vayan con tiempo, se reporta mucho tráfico en la Carretera Libre.

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 11:09 AM

Sorry for the double post. I checked the 'Baja News' section and didn't see anything posted. WHOOPS! :yes:

sequoyah - 12-28-2013 at 11:16 AM

Wow! Thanks to everyone for the links and pictures.

They were working on this last month when I was there, but it looked shaky, to say the least.

bajario - 12-28-2013 at 11:36 AM

WOW! I hope no one was injured or killed when that stretch of road disappeared. Pops has a place in La Salina. I assume residents can go back and forth to La Mision?

willardguy - 12-28-2013 at 11:43 AM

if you're in no hurry its fun to take the old dirt road from la mision (on the north side of the valley) to el porvenir, then down the 3. miss all the traffic :light:

the tiny little town of san jose de la zorra before you come out at porvenir is worth exploring.

[Edited on 12-28-2013 by willardguy]

BajaGeoff - 12-28-2013 at 11:43 AM

So crazy! That section has been suspect for a long time. Hope nobody got hurt....

MMc - 12-28-2013 at 11:47 AM

Tacate just became the new way down! I hate that road.

elgatoloco - 12-28-2013 at 12:03 PM

"Slip sliding away, the nearer your destination the more your slip sliding away........"

Serious pucker factor with that truck driver? Looks like he was right in the mix went it all went down, so to speak.

The Mexican government originally asked the US Army Corp of Engineers to consult on the original construction of the toll road. The Corps told Mexico that they would not participate and suggested they pick a different route due to geologic instability. They referenced the Portuguese Bend/Palos Verdes area as an exact match geologically speaking. Oh well. Nice jobs program for the road workers.

BajaBlanca - 12-28-2013 at 12:07 PM

What's the Portuguese bend?

Scary pics those. Mighty scary.

durrelllrobert - 12-28-2013 at 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MMc
Tacate just became the new way down! I hate that road.

Yep, 3-5 hour waits will become common at Tecate

[Edited on 12-28-2013 by durrelllrobert]

[Edited on 12-28-2013 by BajaNomad]

BajaNomad - 12-28-2013 at 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaBlanca
What's the Portuguese bend?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Bend

steekers - 12-28-2013 at 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by willardguy
if you're in no hurry its fun to take the old dirt road from la mision (on the north side of the valley) to el porvenir, then down the 3. miss all the traffic :light:

the tiny little town of san jose de la zorra before you come out at porvenir is worth exploring.

[Edited on 12-28-2013 by willardguy]

WillardGuy or DK...have a nice map for this alternate route around the traffic? Thanks

steekers - 12-28-2013 at 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Cooke
No hay paso en la Escénica a partir de La Fonda...vayan con tiempo, se reporta mucho tráfico en la Carretera Libre.

Hi Ken...where did this pic come from? I am looking for more in the La Fonda area...have any more?

more photos...

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 12:46 PM

source: https://www.facebook.com/proteccion.civil.bc

[Edited on 12-28-2013 by Ken Cooke]

DianaT - 12-28-2013 at 12:54 PM

That part was always moving, but this is awful. What a mess and I also hope no one was injured or killed.

Thanks for the report

willardguy - 12-28-2013 at 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by steekers

Quote:

the tiny little town of san jose de la zorra before you come out at porvenir is worth exploring.

[Edited on 12-28-2013 by willardguy]

WillardGuy or DK...have a nice map for this alternate route around the traffic? Thanks

what makes you think DAVID would have a map? :lol:

actually this dirt road WAS the road before the bridge was built into la mision. its begins right at the north end of the bridge, its on the tripleA maps

[Edited on 12-28-2013 by willardguy]

steekers - 12-28-2013 at 01:08 PM

OK, will check my AAA map. Thanks.

San Diego newspaper report on road collapse

Whale-ista - 12-28-2013 at 01:53 PM

Hope no one was hurt with this latest collapse. This area has always been a wild ride. But driving slowly has its advantages, besides safety.

One cloudy winter day a friend and I were driving north, slowly, above this "salsipuedes" slope, and spotted a leaping gray whale. We pulled over to watch a group of gray whales leap, and leap, and leap.... and then do what gray whales usually do in the lagoons : make baby whales.

Quite an interesting perspective from high on the bluff... slowing down to enjoy the view has its advantages, but may no longer be possible after this latest collapse.

[edit] Whew- just reviewed the latest photos/video. Thanks to all for posting updates, images and news reports.

FYI, here's an English language report from San Diego newspaper: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/dec/28/tijuana-ensenada-...

Of note from this report:
"Meanwhile, the mayor of Ensenada, Gilberto Hirata, has blamed Capufe for not closing the highway stretch between La Misión and Ensenada earlier, even after reports of serious faults started to appear on social media and at the urging of state officials.

"He also stated that they were in talks with federal and state authorities about constructing an alternate road or replacing the highway with a bridge or another road after years of trouble with the current scenic route.

"The collapse would be devastating for the city of Ensenada and to the overall economy of the state, as the city is home to the third busiest cruise ship terminal in Mexico and gateway to the rest of Baja by the sea."

It's pretty miraculous that no one was injured. On the bright side: for gray whales, looks like they will have their privacy back along this stretch of coastline for quite a while ...

[Edited on 12-29-2013 by Whale-ista]

[Edited on 12-29-2013 by Whale-ista]

Geo_Skip - 12-28-2013 at 02:26 PM

thanks for the photos Ken. I suspect there are hardships all around because of this but the landslide risk is readily apparent to any geologist who has ever driven the toll road.

Muck like Devil's Slide on the Northern California Coast, these major zones of active landsliding are never really stable, only meta-stable...liable to let go ant the slightest excuse.

Decent traffic engineers plan for alternate routes.

I guess Puerto Nuevo will be hard to get to for some time, I will miss the lobster but at least I can get Dungeness Crab locally.

EnsenadaDr - 12-28-2013 at 02:29 PM

Probably due to the recent earthquake that hit Ensenada. I have been traveling through Tecate from the Ruta del Vino road from Ensenada to Tecate the last few months and the road is great. The only problem is there is no Sentri and if you cross on a weekend after 12 pm or in the mornings early it takes hours to cross. The good news is after 2 pm weekdays it's pretty clear crossing. One word of advice, make sure you drive at least one car length for every 10 miles an hour you are going and don't have anything hanging on your rear view mirror. Officers are working overtime and they are looking for any excuse to pull you over to check for smuggling, contraband and the like. The scenery is nice and the road is free. Just don't drink before you cross over to the US, like I said, they are handing out tickets like confetti on the US 94 highway.
Reply

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Geo_Skip
thanks for the photos Ken.

You are welcome, Skip.

Check out the video!

A Semi-trucker got his rig stuck - not sure how the driver fared getting himself out (on foot). But, the truck sure isn't going *anywhere*.

[Edited on 12-28-2013 by Ken Cooke]

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 02:44 PM

DavidE - 12-28-2013 at 02:45 PM

IMHO

End of the line for this route. They'll have to cut a new roadway around the hills inland. There is NO WAY to stabilize a road base through a fault zone like this.

My bet is on SCT cutting access routes and joining with the free road north and south of the slide then using newly cut "paralelos" alongside the old highway to carry traffic.

Folks here who were in Ensenada on the 18th said they felt quite a shake.

Looks like there is every chance of the whole section sliding into the Pacific leaving a sheer cliff. Some developer will sell the new "sea view" homesites he he he.

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 02:46 PM

EnsenadaDr - 12-28-2013 at 02:49 PM

Great video Ken. Thanks.

Pompano - 12-28-2013 at 02:57 PM

Ouch, that looks like the end of that stretch of highway. Pray that nobody gets killed.

I've mistrusted that coastal toll road ever since my pickup camper took a hit from a basketball-size rolling rock in a major flood in 1979. Rocks were bouncing down that hillside like cannonballs and I was doing my best to avoid them...but then BANG!

One thing for sure, the Tecate routes will all be swamped by now.

EngineerMike - 12-28-2013 at 03:35 PM

Suspension bridge over the unstable section. Easy peasy.

Holy shoot!

neilm81301 - 12-28-2013 at 03:50 PM

Those are some wild pics.... reminds me of old Hwy 1, up between Cambria and Big Sur.

The whizbang boys at Caltrans eventually got a solution in place on that one.

The Mexicans will get this one handled, sooner or later.

Think I'll stick to the gulf side, this winter.

Neil

BajaNomad - 12-28-2013 at 03:55 PM

[Edited on 12-28-2013 by BajaNomad]

Nookster - 12-28-2013 at 04:40 PM

Whoa,

Looks like traffic is being put off at the La Mision/La Fonda exit. Wonder what this will mean for business at that exit. Nice lady owns the Poco Cielo hotel and George has his bar right there. Without through traffic business might be tight for a while.

No injuries; no earthquake

durrelllrobert - 12-28-2013 at 05:01 PM

Don't know where the info came from but one of the moderators on the Punta Banda Bulletin Board posted this:

[moderator's note: no injuries. there was a truck that went into one of the sink holes but no injuries. no, this was not due to an earthquake. road is closed in both directions. free road will undoubtedly have heavy traffic]

[Edited on 12-29-2013 by durrelllrobert]

Nookster - 12-28-2013 at 05:05 PM

Anybody got the skills to post this location on google maps?

Nookster - 12-28-2013 at 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nookster
Whoa,

Looks like traffic is being put off at the La Mision/La Fonda exit. Wonder what this will mean for business at that exit. Nice lady owns the Poco Cielo hotel and George has his bar right there. Without through traffic business might be tight for a while.

OK, so it looks like these buisnesses really won't be effected since everyone will pick up the free road at La Mision.

EnsenadaDr - 12-28-2013 at 05:28 PM

Engineer Mike, a question for you. This area has been unstable for a number of years now, due to the earthquakes in the area. There is quite a bit of money going into the toll road funds and repair was way underway in the area that collapsed as recently as a week ago when I drove over that area and it looked like the repair was going smoothly. Should they even have started repair on this area or looked for other alternatives since this last collapse? Looking for your opinion as an Engineer.

Quote:

Originally posted by EngineerMike
Suspension bridge over the unstable section. Easy peasy.

BajaNomad - 12-28-2013 at 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nookster
Anybody got the skills to post this location on google maps?

Probably right about here it looks like:

http://goo.gl/maps/n482S

dasubergeek - 12-28-2013 at 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nookster
Anybody got the skills to post this location on google maps?

Yep. Here you go. http://goo.gl/maps/H595u

[Edited on 12-29-2013 by dasubergeek]

David K - 12-28-2013 at 06:05 PM

Correct Doug... and Dra. that area has been unstable almost since the highway was built in the late '60's. I would say it's no more earthquake related than just normal erosion of the land into the sea everywhere cliffs are along an ocean.

Also, the road to Guadalupe Valley from the El Tigre area has been paved a few years now. The road via San Jose de la Zorra is a LONG way to Guadalupe from La Mision.

Nookster - 12-28-2013 at 06:15 PM

Thanks for posting that BajaNomad and dasubergeek.

BajaNomad - 12-28-2013 at 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dasubergeek

Yep. Here you go. http://goo.gl/maps/H595u

Check out dasubergeek's work. Nice.

BajaNomad - 12-28-2013 at 06:32 PM

Nookster - 12-28-2013 at 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaNomad

Quote:

Originally posted by dasubergeek

Yep. Here you go. http://goo.gl/maps/H595u

Check out dasubergeek's work. Nice.

Mad Skills. :lol:

vgabndo - 12-28-2013 at 07:05 PM

Here is street view from four years ago. First Northbound.

There is a "trucks keep right" sign that can be seen down in the hole in many of the after shots.

Looking southbound, the pole with the PV cell is right at the edge of the hole in the pictures.

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 07:17 PM

Gov. Kiko Vega and his detail

[Edited on 12-29-2013 by BajaNomad]

Gov. Kiko Vega speaks on Hwy 1 damage

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 07:24 PM

"Financial resources to fix the rupture and collapse of the toll road is not moot because it is an emergency , the governor said Francisco Vega de Lamadrid. Present at the site of the sinking of the land, where the collapsed highway section , provided that the budgets of other works included not adversely affected, because the federal government provides funds for emergency works and said it is an emergency.

It is said of one of the major highways of the country for its strategic and commercial tourist location, but what is issue to address is that the solution is the best and the job done right .

He mentioned that fortunately have two alternate routes such as the federal free road Tijuana and El Tigre Ensenada -Tecate .

He said he worried about the impact this geological tourism close to the freeway and can cause failure , so he said he would meet with federal level authorities to discuss the issue and solutions.

He said that it is a very serious case but fortunately there was no loss to regret , this thanks to the coordination of the authorities of the three levels of government.

While the state government recommended the closure of the highway for safety, this was not observed by CAPUFE , so that said each participating authority shall submit its report and then you could determine whether there was any responsibility or not, but ¨ after all ¨ went away with it .

The first is to facilitate vehicular traffic and we must all work together to ensure the safety of all who use the roads .

¨ It remains to get to work because we are in a critical situation ¨ and reiterated that the federal government offered all the help .

Takes advantage of the presence of media to inform the community of the use of alternate routes and who is not required to take road to abstain so as not to saturate the path , while the situation is normalized."

source: http://www.el-mexicano.com.mx/informacion/noticias/1/3/estat...

Dirt News reporting

Ken Cooke - 12-28-2013 at 08:08 PM

source: http://dirtnewz.com/2013/12/baja-toll-road-collapses-south-o...

Baja Toll Road Collapses South of Tijuana Causing FULL Road Closure

Overnight the Baja Toll Road south of La Fonda collapsed causing a full road closure south of the border. This will force officials to figure out a solution, most likely via the free road.

BajaDock reported the following:

Apparently, the Toll Road has slide further, sometime during the night. Hope noone was hurt or worse. This will end the patching and force Mexico to figure out long term routing, likely via Free Road. Construction on Free Road also caused delays. Red highlight on map, a few miles north of the ‘Nada toll booth is where the asphalt adventure is located.Coming south, Free Road access is at La Mision/La Fonda exit and rejoins hwy 1 just 400 yds south of the Ensenada toll booth. It will only take you a few minutes longer, so enjoy the beautiful inland countryside.

The Scenic Road recorded four new sinkings this day, one of more than 60 inches in both directions of the road. The flaws have caused long lines of cars, especially Tijuana to Ensenada, a 93 kilometer. Reported waiting up to half an hour to cross this stretch, since only one of the two lanes, the low speed (right), has been enabled for the crossing. The subsidence in the two lanes of Tijuana to Ensenada already been repaired, but in the opposite direction still continue to work. Complaints of drivers have been expected, especially because nobody tells them the state of the roads, but they have to pay their full toll, despite the delays that this generates.

bajadock - 12-28-2013 at 08:24 PM

Photo, map and video compilation. http://bajadock.wordpress.com/2013/12/28/ensenada-toll-road-...
Holy Sheet.

dasubergeek - 12-28-2013 at 08:33 PM

CAPUFE ignored the requests to close it, but now they're on Twitter crowing about how the preventive closure yesterday saved lives.

tecatero - 12-29-2013 at 07:13 AM

Anyone want some action on the over/under of this being repaired in two weeks.......?? Haven't used Hwy 3 southbound in years, and there's a reason for that........its horrible

woody with a view - 12-29-2013 at 07:41 AM

how much will the tolls cost after repairs are completed?

aguachico - 12-29-2013 at 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by woody with a view
how much will the tolls cost after repairs are completed?

Just thinking about this also and whether they will continue to charge at all? They should at least stop charging at rosarito and ensenada!

mtgoat666 - 12-29-2013 at 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nookster
Anybody got the skills to post this location on google maps?

Look at the OC Register article. Had a nice google earth graphic link

12/29 TJ-Ensenada Toll road collapse near Salispuedes

wilderone - 12-29-2013 at 08:43 AM

ENSENADA — Days after a 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck south of Ensenada, the Tijuana-Ensenada toll road has collapsed toward the sea and threatens to continue sinking, though no injuries were reported.

The scenic road had already seen evidence of fractures and sinking since Dec. 19, the day of the earthquake, with many travelers posting pictures on social media of the increasingly critical situation of the highway. However, no official confirmation from geologist or road engineers have confirmed the collapse is due to the earthquake, with only the state government saying that "natural causes" were to blame.

Saturday morning, the small fractures suddenly turned into enormous cracks on the cliffside, plunging the highway deeper and toward the sea, with some parts caving almost 300 feet.

The collapse happened at the Salsipuedes stretch of highway toward Ensenada overlooking steep bluffs, only about 10 miles north of Ensenada and the San Miguel toll booth, and 56 miles south of the border.

Authorities will now close the highway from the La Misión toll to the San Miguel toll, forcing travelers to take the old non-toll road from La Misión to Ensenada, an alternate route of about 30 miles (although, not much difference in total travel time and goes through the countryside).

Also, the Baja state government advises travelers to take Federal Road 3 if they are heading out from Tecate toward Ensenada, or use the old Ensenada - San Felipe road for trips from Mexicali to Ensenada, or vice versa.

There are conflicting accounts about just how long the highway will remain closed. Frontera reports that Rosa María Castañeda, regional director of the Federal Roads and Bridges agency responsible for the highway, has said that it might only take a week until the road reopens. Other reports put the total time needed for repairs at one year.

State Civil Protection director Antonio Rosquillas said early Saturday morning that the collapse began to worsen around 2:30 a.m.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Ensenada, Gilberto Hirata, has blamed Capufe for not closing the highway stretch between La Misión and Ensenada earlier, even after reports of serious faults started to appear on social media and at the urging of state officials.

He also stated that they were in talks with federal and state authorities about constructing an alternate road or replacing the highway with a bridge or another road after years of trouble with the current scenic route.

The collapse would be devastating for the city of Ensenada and to the overall economy of the state, as the city is home to the third busiest cruise ship terminal in Mexico and gateway to the rest of Baja by the sea.

dasubergeek - 12-29-2013 at 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote:

Originally posted by Nookster
Anybody got the skills to post this location on google maps?

Look at the OC Register article. Had a nice google earth graphic link

OC Weekly... I don't think the OC Register has picked it up, which is surprising. That's my article, and the map link in it is the same one I created and linked upthread here. Full service around here at Baja Nomad! :lol:

elgatoloco - 12-29-2013 at 08:55 AM

That clears it up. Road will be reopened in a week. Or a year. Or never? Yikes.

And the Federales say ...

durrelllrobert - 12-29-2013 at 09:04 AM

"MEXICO CITY: Mexico says a 300-yard (metre) section of a highway near the US border has collapsed, sinking about 100 feet (30 metres) after a series of small earthquakes.

Mexico's federal highway authority says the collapse occurred about 58 miles (93 kilometres) south of the border city of Tijuana. The road leads to the port city of Ensenada, on the Baja California peninsula.

The agency, on Saturday said that the road was closed in the early morning hours, after the collapse was detected.

The agency said the collapse was caused by seven small earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 1.3 to 4.3. It said the roadway runs over a known geological fault in the area, and that it had been raining heavily. No injuries were reported.

Traffic was being diverted onto a smaller, non-toll highway."

micah202 - 12-29-2013 at 09:14 AM

.

...can anyone say they're surprised???

....it was always a question of when,,,not 'if'.
......I'm glad to hear nobody got hurt!

wilderone - 12-29-2013 at 09:19 AM

Looking at some of the photos, it's not surprising that this happened - just asphalt over sand with the force of cliffs pushing on it - and in earthquake country - just give it a little nudge and ....
Will be interesting to see how the Mex. 1 section will be "fixed".
I have been impressed with the bridges they built after some of the floods a few years ago.

Bridge???

bajaguy - 12-29-2013 at 09:20 AM

I don't think it is that easy. The fault area begins as one exits the San Miguel toll booth north where you can see patching and cracks in the pavement to the El Mirador Lookout/Rest area, next to the "new" LNG plant at BajaMar.

Would be interesting to see what a geological review panel has to say about construction in that area.

Looks like a couple of safe alternative routes wiuld be to cut east at either at La Salina or through Jatay to the Free Road, then 4 lane the free road to San Miguel......

Only time will tell

Quote:

Originally posted by EngineerMike
Suspension bridge over the unstable section. Easy peasy.

Rumple - 12-29-2013 at 09:20 AM

I have a friend who drove south yesterday afternoon. There was a detour in place and he said the condition of the free road was good, even newly paved in part. Traffic moved well. The only glitch was the military check point that caused a 30 minute delay!

dasubergeek - 12-29-2013 at 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rumple
I have a friend who drove south yesterday afternoon. There was a detour in place and he said the condition of the free road was good, even newly paved in part. Traffic moved well. The only glitch was the military check point that caused a 30 minute delay!

There's usually a military checkpoint northbound on the toll road at San Miguel, so this isn't TOO different. They had a military checkpoint at the turnoff for El Tigre and the wine route, but the last several times I drove through there it was gone. The state government asked the military to replace the checkpoints that were removed, so perhaps the military complied.

They have been paving the free road and the last I checked it was new pavement all the way up to the windy, hilly section east of La Misión. There was construction the last time I went through but it's been a month or two so possibly they finished just in the nick of time.

Scenic Mexico coastal highway collapses after rain, small earthquakes: reports

Ken Cooke - 12-29-2013 at 09:58 AM

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/29/22094081-sceni...

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News
A 300-yard section of scenic highway near the U.S. border collapsed Saturday, sinking up to 300 feet and forcing the closure of the route, according to reports.
Mexico’s federal highway authority says the collapse occurred about 58 miles south of the border city of Tijuana, according to The Associated Press. The road leads to the port city of Ensenada, on the Baja California peninsula.
The agency said it came after several earlier small earthquakes, ranging in magnitude from 1.3 to 4.3, combined with recent heavy rainfall, the AP reported.
The road had already seen evidence of fractures and sinking in recent days, according to a San Diego Union-Tribune report which said the small fractures suddenly turned into enormous cracks on the cliffside in the early hours of Saturday, plunging the highway deeper and toward the sea, with some parts caving almost 300 feet.

Here's the culprit

durrelllrobert - 12-29-2013 at 10:15 AM

Fault line crosses under the bay and Punta Banda:

The island of Punta Banda: work in progress

Whale-ista - 12-29-2013 at 10:29 AM

Isla Todos Santos was formed the same way.

It's a toss up which will be completed first: the island or a permanent coastal road route between La Mision/Ensenada. :spingrin:

Here's another fault line map of Northern Baja California, including the Santo Thomas Valley/Punta Banda split. Lots of movement potential all along this coast.

[Edited on 12-29-2013 by Whale-ista]

David K - 12-29-2013 at 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by durrelllrobert
Fault line crosses under the bay and Punta Banda:

Wrong bay and point map... but I am sure they are just as diced-up!

wetto - 12-29-2013 at 10:59 AM

“Once a journey is designed, equipped, and put in process, a new factor enters and takes over. A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. Tour masters, schedules, reservations, brass-bound and inevitable, dash themselves to wreckage on the personality of the trip. Only when this is recognized can the blown-in-the glass bum relax and go along with it. Only then do the frustrations fall away. In this a journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”
― John Steinbeck

EnsenadaDr - 12-29-2013 at 11:53 AM

Bob what is this stauch denial from members here as well as the PBBB that earthquakes were not involved? I don't get it.

Quote:

Originally posted by durrelllrobert
"MEXICO CITY: Mexico says a 300-yard (metre) section of a highway near the US border has collapsed, sinking about 100 feet (30 metres) after a series of small earthquakes.

Mexico's federal highway authority says the collapse occurred about 58 miles (93 kilometres) south of the border city of Tijuana. The road leads to the port city of Ensenada, on the Baja California peninsula.

The agency, on Saturday said that the road was closed in the early morning hours, after the collapse was detected.

The agency said the collapse was caused by seven small earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 1.3 to 4.3. It said the roadway runs over a known geological fault in the area, and that it had been raining heavily. No injuries were reported.

Traffic was being diverted onto a smaller, non-toll highway."

David K - 12-29-2013 at 12:02 PM

It is an unstable cliff, as many are next to the ocean. It didn't need an earthquake to slide, but if there are quakes it sure helps the ground to move. Maybe the government needs to publish the earthquake story to keep protests down that the highway should have never been constructed there...? The view seemed to be more important when picking the route above Salsipuedes beach?

woody with a view - 12-29-2013 at 12:04 PM

when was the last rainfall? it's been 80 degree santa ana weather since forever!

EnsenadaDr - 12-29-2013 at 12:12 PM

It's been a cut and paste job for the past 10 years that I can remember. However, the highway was built on a geological fault which was probably a big mistake. The earthquakes can crack a house foundation and can cause damage to an undamaged building. So I am sure they contributed somewhat to the demise of this area. It's unfortunate because it is a beautiful road but probably not the most sound, they will probably divert the whole road to the free road for safety and there goes the views.

Quote:

Originnally posted by David K
It is an unstable cliff, as many are next to the ocean. It didn't need an earthquake to slide, but if there are quakes it sure helps the ground to move. Maybe the government needs to publish the earthquake story to keep protests down that the highway should have never been constructed there...? The view seemed to be more important when picking the route above Salsipuedes beach?

David K - 12-29-2013 at 12:22 PM

All highways in California and Baja California travel over faults... It would be impossible to build a road anywhere here otherwise.

Building next to a collapsing sea cliff, on a fault or not, was the problem. It has worked okay until (as you said) about 10 years ago when that spot obviously began moving and they kept pouring asphalt over the cracks... It was just bound to happen... the road needs to be further away from the ocean and landslide area... Perhaps on top of the mountain?

David K - 12-29-2013 at 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by woody with a view
when was the last rainfall? it's been 80 degree santa ana weather since forever!

Seriously!

It rains every winter and the ground shakes all the time... it's not like this is new stuff surprising Mexican engineers, is it?

EnsenadaDr - 12-29-2013 at 12:27 PM

Part of the road was built obviously with the view in mind, maybe a suspension bridge like Engineer Mike mentioned might be the answer!

bill erhardt - 12-29-2013 at 12:29 PM

I crossed yesterday morning (Saturday) early at Otay and arrived at the toll road and Blvd. 2000 around first light. A few minutes later traffic was diverted off the toll road onto the old highway.

I didn't know what the problem was at the time and didn't find out until I got home to Loreto an hour or so ago.

The old road from the detour on to Ensedada is in good shape. I would estimate that it took only 10 - 15 minutes longer than a trip on the toll road before the collapse.

DianaT - 12-29-2013 at 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bill erhardt
......

The old road from the detour on to Ensedada is in good shape. I would estimate that it took only 10 - 15 minutes longer than a trip on the toll road before the collapse.

That is a good thing.

Geologists must be a very frustrated group of people as they are far too often ignored.

[Edited on 12-29-2013 by DianaT]

EnsenadaDr - 12-29-2013 at 12:33 PM

Sigh, looks like the scenic road might be closed permanently. Does anyone know why Mirador has been closed over 5 years?

BajaRat - 12-29-2013 at 12:52 PM

EnsenadaDr, no two ways about it the quakes helped give it a push.
My money is on a new route for a long time if not permanently. Like others have said, the instability stretches all the way to San Miguel. Back to the old remote Salsepuedes coastline. We will probably see all the other northbound/southbound routes get a major facelift.

Some will lose and others will prosper.

[Edited on 12-29-2013 by BajaRat]

Interesting Video

bajaguy - 12-29-2013 at 02:14 PM

Interesting video from Rosarito TV 69

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151922139964506&s...

BajaNomad - 12-29-2013 at 03:36 PM

Bajahowodd - 12-29-2013 at 06:05 PM

I cannot count the number of times my family has traversed this road. But, there are major geologic problems along much of the highway South of Rosarito. Hence, the almost constant repaving and rehabilitating year after year.

mtgoat666 - 12-29-2013 at 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
It was just bound to happen... the road needs to be further away from the ocean and landslide area... Perhaps on top of the mountain?

Bound to happen? Actually, it's been happening for eons... In slow and fast motion, so to speak.
Why build a new road on top of the hill when the inland free road already takes the path of least resistance? Widen the free road to 4 lanes, straighten out a few curves, and bob's your uncle!
The scenic road can be left to the 4wd crowd to provide them a new area for knuckle dragging :lol:

Somebody mentioned building a bridge,... Silly idea, the spans would be quite large, costs and time to construct would be prohibitive, relative to improving existing free road.

BornFisher - 12-29-2013 at 08:11 PM

First thanks to all who have reported and posted vids and pics of this event.
Little story here-- Friday night I read the first few posts in this thread after drinking a few cervezas with Jeff, AKA Pancho Villa and Bajacalifornian. I told Jeff we would fish Saturday for a few hours, and come over at 5:45. We left our park (K-38) and headed down to La Salina. I never thought another thing about this thread because the road was open. Well at 6:15AM the road was closed and they wern`t letting anyone through. I guessed what the problem might be and said we were just going a few miles to La Salina. NO was the answer, libre only!! So the libre we took to a "go around" road to get to the boat and fish. We did see numerous vehicles on the toll road going north and south from La Salina, but it must have been local traffic.
BTW the fishing was good, except for those damn whales!! We would be fishing peacefully away when the sound of "WWWWHHHHHHOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA" would mean another pest is almost ramming the boat!! Almost as bad as those darn waves that make all that noise when I`m trying to take a siesta!!!

Toll Road

dpwahoo - 12-29-2013 at 08:37 PM

So, if you live in La Salina you cant get through? What about playing golf at Bajamar? That would devestate those two establishments.

bajaguy - 12-29-2013 at 08:42 PM

I would imagine that if you live in La Salina or Baja Mar and can prove it, they will let you through.

Quote:

Originally posted by dpwahoo
So, if you live in La Salina you cant get through? What about playing golf at Bajamar? That would devestate those two establishments.

BornFisher - 12-29-2013 at 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dpwahoo
So, if you live in La Salina you cant get through? What about playing golf at Bajamar? That would devestate those two establishments.

All I know is that Saturday morning we could get back to the toll road south of the road block. Another thing-- the gas station with the OXXO was open. So if you are craving coffee, liquor, cigs, doughnuts, cookies or whatever, stop on by!!

willardguy - 12-29-2013 at 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BornFisher

Quote:

Originally posted by dpwahoo
So, if you live in La Salina you cant get through? What about playing golf at Bajamar? That would devestate those two establishments.

so you crossed the bridge going into la mision and followed the road on the south side of the river coming out in punta piedras? interesting shortcut they gave you! :lol:

BornFisher - 12-29-2013 at 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by willardguy

Quote:

Originally posted by BornFisher

Quote:

Originally posted by dpwahoo
So, if you live in La Salina you cant get through? What about playing golf at Bajamar? That would devestate those two establishments.

so you crossed the bridge going into la mision and followed the road on the south side of the river coming out in punta piedras? interesting shortcut they gave you! :lol:

Yeah that is the road. Shortcut??? Not going south, maybe coming from the south and then over to the toll road. I`m not talking about a shortcut that someone gave me, just saying that La Salina and Bajamar can be reached on this road if they don`t let you through the road block.

willardguy - 12-29-2013 at 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BornFisher

Quote:

Originally posted by willardguy

Quote:

Originally posted by BornFisher

Quote:

Originally posted by dpwahoo
So, if you live in La Salina you cant get through? What about playing golf at Bajamar? That would devestate those two establishments.

so you crossed the bridge going into la mision and followed the road on the south side of the river coming out in punta piedras? interesting shortcut they gave you! :lol:

gotcha, hey that a nice little campground along that road dontcha think?

The 2WD crowd already beat us to it!

Ken Cooke - 12-29-2013 at 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

The scenic road can be left to the 4wd crowd to provide them a new area for knuckle dragging :lol:

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