Trucks Cross Highway 101 Slide Bringing Diesel to Support SoHum's Economic Engine

UPDATE: Estelle Fennell at SoHum Awareness is reporting, “County Roads Makes it official. Don’t use Briceland-Ettersburg to go north. Use Alderpoint- Blocksburg- Bridgeville – Highway 36”

A massive slide blocked 101 yesterday as falling water tables pulled liquid-saturated soil down with them.  According to the Times Standard, “The Eel River Camp near the U.S. Highway 101 slide measured 16.47 inches of rain this month.” The river is still high but rain has not fallen for days and the water levels are dropping.

Three excavators are working on the 101 slide from both sides.  Lights are up so work can continue through the night. The place is crawling with dump trucks, according to Kim Sallaway (Check out his gallery of photos here) who took these photos.

 

 

As reported earlier, an emergency “road” was punched through at 1am this morning.

The dirt is packed at least 8 feet above the old asphalt. Fittingly enough, one of the emergency vehicles allowed through was a Renner Diesel truck (yes, I know diesel is a vital fuel source, and we need it for many reasons but I couldn’t help snickering a little at SoHum’s priorities. [Joel–next week’s cartoon?])

Sallaway who rode his bike to photograph the site said today was much more mellow than yesterday.  He did not go up on the moving slide today. Instead, he carried his Ipod for the ride and said, “It is a beautiful sunny day.  Everyone is in shirt sleeves and in a good mood.”  Generally, the mood around town is upbeat and hopeful of a speedy conclusion

Sebastian Cohen, Caltrans District One Hydraulics Engineer and Major Damage Coordinator stated, “Currently, we are trying to figure out soil disposal issues” with land owners.  The goals is “by Monday to have at least one lane controlled traffic.  Getting kids to school is our main priority.”

Meanwhile, gas prices have raised 6 cents per gallon but contrary to speculation this wasn’t due to the slide. They went up the day before.  Fuel trucks, as reported, are getting through and alternative routes have been planned for groceries and other essentials. And according to the Lost Coast Outpost, “The City of Arcata Transportation Division has arranged temporary bus service to redirect passengers whose travel plans are affected by the road closure on Highway 101 north of Garberville.”

Important Links:

SoHum Awareness

Lost Coast Outpost.

Times Standard: Humboldt Co.  Makes a Declaration of Emergency

Times Standard: Closure Poses Concern for Local Businesses

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Kim
Guest
Kim
12 years ago

The pictured fuel truck off loaded part of its diesel into the working machinery. I bet those rigs use plenty of it. Afterwards, the truck continued south.
Are the home fuel delivery trucks allowed to drive the two alternate arteries at all right now?

Staff
Member
12 years ago
Reply to  Kim

Good questions. Maybe the smaller ones? But definitely big rigs aren’t supposed to cross.

Kim
Guest
Kim
12 years ago

The pictured fuel truck off loaded part of its diesel into the working machinery. I bet those rigs use plenty of it. Afterwards, the truck continued south.
Are the home fuel delivery trucks allowed to drive the two alternate arteries at all right now?

Staff
Member
12 years ago
Reply to  Kim

Good questions. Maybe the smaller ones? But definitely big rigs aren’t supposed to cross.

Kim
Guest
Kim
12 years ago

I want to add that the police will not allow ANY people to approach this work zone. I was questioned by 3 different officers on 3 different occasions during my short time at the slide site. One pulled me over with his siren as I rode the wrong way up the deserted Redway ramp.
Basically, before I even got started.
Each of the officers I spoke with had been to your site, and the SoHum Aware FB page. They let me continue on my way.
You’re feeding a lot of info junkies. Thanks for sharing my pictures with your readership.
I bet you already noticed, but I have to say it anyway, isn’t it a gloriously sunny warm day?
Smells great too.

Staff
Member
12 years ago
Reply to  Kim

Kim, thanks for you photos to feed us news junkies and thanks to the officers for understanding the human need to know. Your photos are the next best thing to standing next to the slide ourselves.

Kim
Guest
Kim
12 years ago

I want to add that the police will not allow ANY people to approach this work zone. I was questioned by 3 different officers on 3 different occasions during my short time at the slide site. One pulled me over with his siren as I rode the wrong way up the deserted Redway ramp.
Basically, before I even got started.
Each of the officers I spoke with had been to your site, and the SoHum Aware FB page. They let me continue on my way.
You’re feeding a lot of info junkies. Thanks for sharing my pictures with your readership.
I bet you already noticed, but I have to say it anyway, isn’t it a gloriously sunny warm day?
Smells great too.

Staff
Member
12 years ago
Reply to  Kim

Kim, thanks for you photos to feed us news junkies and thanks to the officers for understanding the human need to know. Your photos are the next best thing to standing next to the slide ourselves.

longwind
Guest
longwind
12 years ago

Kim, your human interest reports (today’s especially) are great too, as well (and almost as good) as your pictures. But at one picture per thousand words, achieving equality will take maybe more electrons than we should spend on such a beautiful day.

Thank you both for just awesome community service. I’m happily not going anywhere.

longwind
Guest
longwind
12 years ago

Kim, your human interest reports (today’s especially) are great too, as well (and almost as good) as your pictures. But at one picture per thousand words, achieving equality will take maybe more electrons than we should spend on such a beautiful day.

Thank you both for just awesome community service. I’m happily not going anywhere.

skippy
Guest
skippy
12 years ago

Heard on the radio 20 minutes ago AT&T says it has a damaged fiber optic link from the slide. They were surprised it didn’t fail altogether. They expect to replace this damaged section o’ link ‘anytime.’ Humboldt’s connection will be out for up to a 24 hour period until finished, they say. Don’t have a link for you, but this is somewhat reliable hearsay. We’ll see what happens.

Staff
Member
12 years ago
Reply to  skippy

If this came from KHUM, they and Lost Coast Communications are basically retracting the statement. See here.

Thanks though, Skippy, getting updates from folk is what makes a blog work.

skippy
Guest
skippy
12 years ago

Heard on the radio 20 minutes ago AT&T says it has a damaged fiber optic link from the slide. They were surprised it didn’t fail altogether. They expect to replace this damaged section o’ link ‘anytime.’ Humboldt’s connection will be out for up to a 24 hour period until finished, they say. Don’t have a link for you, but this is somewhat reliable hearsay. We’ll see what happens.

Staff
Member
12 years ago
Reply to  skippy

If this came from KHUM, they and Lost Coast Communications are basically retracting the statement. See here.

Thanks though, Skippy, getting updates from folk is what makes a blog work.

skippy
Guest
skippy
12 years ago

Hank’s on this. Fast. There’s some miscommunication on the fiber optic link going back and forth, and he’s tracing it back to the source– or trying to. He feels an outage may not be imminent in his report here. Yours truly isn’t so sure, but his information is from more reliable sources.

skippy
Guest
skippy
12 years ago

Hank’s on this. Fast. There’s some miscommunication on the fiber optic link going back and forth, and he’s tracing it back to the source– or trying to. He feels an outage may not be imminent in his report here. Yours truly isn’t so sure, but his information is from more reliable sources.

Merry Meddler
Guest
Merry Meddler
12 years ago

Times Standard today says CalTrans “cautiously optimistic” they can open 101 to one-way traffic on Sunday, but I also note that they are forecasting showers on Saturday.

Merry Meddler
Guest
Merry Meddler
12 years ago

Times Standard today says CalTrans “cautiously optimistic” they can open 101 to one-way traffic on Sunday, but I also note that they are forecasting showers on Saturday.

skippy
Guest
skippy
12 years ago

Today’s Times-Standard article is in, Caltrans: ‘Cautiously optimistic’ U.S. Highway 101 will open to one-way traffic Sunday by Thadeus Greenson and Donna Tam

and another article about Dave’s son, Nathan, ‘Seeing and hearing the landslide up close; a forgotten clipboard may have saved a life’ by Thadeus Greenson

Thadeus writes,
“Plainly, Nathan Stancliff has never liked the route. Though he’s driven his Delreka Distributing truck from Eureka to Garberville once a week for several months to deliver to Southern Humboldt grocery stores, he’s always done so a bit nervously. “I’ve told everyone that I don’t like this route because I feel there’s going to be a landslide,” Stancliff said Thursday..”

That was one lucky clipboard, Nathan. You can read more of this story in Thadeus’ piece or Dave’s blog, ‘As It Stands,’ on the right sidebar, here.

skippy
Guest
skippy
12 years ago

Today’s Times-Standard article is in, Caltrans: ‘Cautiously optimistic’ U.S. Highway 101 will open to one-way traffic Sunday by Thadeus Greenson and Donna Tam

and another article about Dave’s son, Nathan, ‘Seeing and hearing the landslide up close; a forgotten clipboard may have saved a life’ by Thadeus Greenson

Thadeus writes,
“Plainly, Nathan Stancliff has never liked the route. Though he’s driven his Delreka Distributing truck from Eureka to Garberville once a week for several months to deliver to Southern Humboldt grocery stores, he’s always done so a bit nervously. “I’ve told everyone that I don’t like this route because I feel there’s going to be a landslide,” Stancliff said Thursday..”

That was one lucky clipboard, Nathan. You can read more of this story in Thadeus’ piece or Dave’s blog, ‘As It Stands,’ on the right sidebar, here.