BIG SUR – Due to the constant use of Regent’s Slide, the steep slope and the unstable nature of the roadway, there is no bicycle or pedestrian access on Highway 1 through Regent’s Slide. But one cyclist learned the hard way why this rule applies.
Last Friday, 28-year-old Cody Lynn Mortensen of Lucerne Valley ignored verbal and posted warnings and attempted to cross Regent’s Slide. He fell down the rocky slope, sustained injuries and required rescue.
“Repairing Regent’s Slide requires removing landslide material from top to bottom,” said Kevin Drabinski, Caltrans District 5 spokesman. “Repairing Regent’s Slide is challenging because the landslide begins about 450 feet above the roadway and because the slope is steep.”
According to a California Highway Patrol report, California State Parks Rangers requested a search and rescue for Mortensen around 11 a.m. on the day of the incident. A member of the Papitch Construction crew said that around 9:30 a.m., Mortensen rode his bicycle to the worker, who was about two miles south of the closure site, and asked him for some water.
Highway 1 is open to Lime Creek, but due to ongoing repairs to the Panorama Highway, a turnaround is required at the closure at Regent’s Slide (after mile 32.1).
The crew member gave Mortensen a bottle of water and told him the road was closed because of a rockslide, the CHP report said. He told Mortensen that the road was impassable and that he would likely die if he tried to cross it. The crew member also told him that he would receive a citation if he was caught by the CHP crossing the closure. Mortensen said he would try anyway.
About an hour later, a state park ranger arrived on scene and drove to Regent’s Slide. Looking down the slide, he spotted a backpack and the injured man with a bleeding arm about 100 feet below. The ranger requested search and rescue at this location while Mortensen climbed down to the beach. He was later rescued from this location by the park ranger and Big Sur Fire personnel. Mortensen was treated by AMR, an emergency medical service, for a laceration to his forearm and possible head trauma. Mortensen was then flown by air ambulance to Natividad Medical Center to treat his injuries.
“I’m not sure I can add anything to the stupidity of this young man,” Drabinski said of the incident.
Mortenson is charged with willful disobeying the orders of a traffic controller and disregarding traffic signs and signals, according to the CHP. He also endangered the lives of emergency responders who had to cross an active landslide. Road closures are for the safety of the public as well as the crews working there. It is against the law to drive, ride or walk past a “road closed” sign.
CHP spokesman Saul Perez said “the Monterey County courts will decide” what penalties Mortensen faces.
Regent’s Slide occurred on March 9, and on April 30, workers began removing the landslide material from top to bottom. It is the last of three landslides where repair work must be completed, as conditions were difficult due to the extreme slope of the terrain. Repair work is expected to be completed by late fall, opening Highway 1 to direct traffic between Carmel and Cambria.
Two other landslides on Highway 1, Paul’s Slide (from mile 22), which occurred on January 14, 2023, and Dolan Point Slide (from mile 29.5), which occurred on March 8, 2024, have had repairs completed and landslides opened in recent months.
On March 30, a slide occurred on Highway 1 at mile 60 just south of the Rocky Creek Bridge, washing out the southbound roadway. Emergency stabilization measures were implemented and a 24-hour one-way traffic signal system was installed to allow traffic to flow freely southbound to Big Sur businesses. The emergency project continues with the construction of a viaduct to support the roadway and repair of a concrete seawall at the base of the bluff.
In the ongoing repair work at Regent’s Slide, crews are using bulldozers at the top of the landslide while smaller, more maneuverable spider excavators move the material down the slope. Because of the steep slope, the spider excavators, which are designed to tackle steep terrain, must be tethered to and anchored by the bulldozers above them.
“As the teams work down the slope, they need to be confident that the slope behind them is stable,” Drabinski said. “The teams are constantly monitoring their approach and adapting it to the conditions on the ground.”
Crews had to stop work completely for several days due to movement in the slope above the repair site, but were soon able to resume debris removal. Due to the steep slope at the site, repair work must be continued with due care and caution.
“The landslide material that falls naturally or is pushed up from above not only covers the roadway but also reaches the beach and the sea below,” Drabinski said.
The original estimate for structural repairs at Regent’s Slide is $31 million.
Road information and updates can be found on Caltrans District 5’s social media platforms: Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5), and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.
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