Alternative Hwy 1 Solutions

What to do about Hwy 1?

Devil's Slide has bedeviled coastal residents for roughly a century. Several major alternatives have been proposed for something of a permanent solution.

We'll be adding materials here soon, so please check back to find Caltrans documents showing bypass plans, Coastal Commission findings, and other interesting reading.

Alternatives under discussion

Get a birds-eye view of both proposed routes with this Map.

Independent Engineer's Report, including recommendations and observations.

Tunnel (click here for more info)

(approx. one mile, single bore, 2 lane, approx. $60M)
Issues include:

Recommended by independent geologists, as well as by Caltrans' Chief of Structures

Flat and straight

Dry, no fog

Same or lesser cost

Almost zero ecological impact

Same timeframe as the overland freeway

Annual maintenance cost

No funding in place; some feel looking into it might place current funding in jeopardy.

At only two lanes, pro-growth interests concerned it doesn't allow room for growth.

Martini Creek over-land freeway (aka "The Bypass") (click here for more info) (4.5 mile, approx. $82M, up from an earlier $70M, up from a much earlier $53M)
Issues include:

Fog

Curves

6.5% grade both up and down

$82M doesn't include blasting, est. at $30M more

3500 feet of sound walls

Eyesore for Montara and Pacifica residents

Linda Mar subjected to highway noise with no hope of mitigation

Linda Mar may get substantially increased fog through the deep mountain cuts

Cuts and fills in the mountain

Stability of cuts, especially in earthquakes

Stream changes and runoff into Fitzgerald sanctuary

Bisection of state park and the key bicycle trails.

CalTrans says funding is in place (caveat - no budget has been released)

View Caltrans' rendition of the freeway from Pacifica! (56K).

Modified MDA (Marine Disposal Alternative)
Issues include

Although environmentalists still support its ecological viability, they are faced with an uphill battle to explain the complicated model.
Dumping mountain materials into the ocean
While some engineers stand by their claims, Caltrans disputes that removal of the head of the slide would allow the rest of the slide to remain stable.
Losing favor to the tunnel which has almost zero ecological impact.
Read a bit about the history here, and please send us your feedback if you'd like to add anything to this history.