California's famed Highway 1 near Big Sur was shut down in the spring when a rain-driven rockslide swept away part of the roadway. Caltrans moved quickly to restore the roadway and contracted Teichert Construction to handle the emergency repairs.

To restore the roadway, the firm stabilized the rockfall area on a 200-ft oceanside cliff while maintaining the traffic flow on the one available lane.

“This was a high-risk, high-priority jobsite going seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” said Jeremy Young, superintendent at Teichert.

Forty vertical holes about 25 ft deep were drilled into the roadbed and steel dowels were inserted and encased with grout. Five rows of holes were drilled horizontally into the cliff face and also reinforced with steel and grout.

Young captured this shot of the operations in April from a promontory adjacent to the work area using his iPhone 14. The image captured how unique, dangerous and complex the operations proved to be, he said. “The photo has breathtaking views of the California landscape that also reminds you of the powerful forces of mother nature.”

The roadway was reopened to regular traffic on May 17, two weeks ahead of schedule.