Route 36 Near Swimmer’s Delight to Remain Closed Two More Weeks as Caltrans Tackles Major Landslide
Press release from Caltrans District 1:
Aerial photo of the slide on Route 36 taken Thursday, June 5
Caltrans District 1 and its contractors are working to stabilize and clear a large landslide that fully closed State Route (SR) 36 east of Swimmer’s Delight near Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park on May 31. Barring unforeseen setbacks, this section of road is expected to remain closed for two more weeks as crews work to remove hazards and realign the roadway.
North Region Construction Area Manager Sebastian Cohen, “We understand the impacts a long-term closure has on residents and travelers, and we’re using all available resources to reopen the roadway.”
Specialized crews conduct a full assessment of the slide area on Monday, June 9
A group of Caltrans geotechnical professionals, engineering geologists and specialized contractors conducted an on-site field review Monday to assess remaining hazards. They determined the ground has dropped six or more feet in some places. “The terrain in this location is incredibly steep, and removing material from the slope could undermine the mountain further up and lead to additional material coming down,” Cohen said.
Over the next two weeks, crews will begin to remove hazardous trees and realign the roadway at the base of the slide to allow for the installation of additional catchment berms for rocks and other debris.
Next steps include hiring a contractor using helicopters with specialized LiDAR scanners to provide a more detailed contour map of the hillside and bringing in additional heavy equipment and helicopters to stabilize the hillside above the roadway.
“We want to ensure safe and reliable travel for people on Route 36, and we’re grateful for the community’s patience and understanding as we move forward,” Cohen said.
Route 299 is the only available detour in Humboldt County on the state highway system. Please follow District 1 social media and check https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ or the QuickMap app for the latest road conditions.
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
Just wow, what a major impact that is going to have.
Has there ever been a closure this long before?
No and still zero support for the community even after one death and a severe accident in redwood house road. The county is failing us
From the press release:“Route 299 is the only available detour….”
It’s really the State that’s been failing — it’s ridiculous to say 299 is the detour but they do so to avoid responsibility for Redwood House Road — if the State says it’s a detour they’d be required to maintain it if not upgrade it.
As far as closing 36 and realigning the roadway closer to the river they’re finally doing what they should have done to start with.
The realignment will reduce having to cut into the toe of the slide so it can start to stabilize.
I agree state responsibility and Cal trans screwed the pooch. 299 is not a viable option for working people. I need to get on it but there are legal channels to go through
To get on 299? What are you hauling that you need certain legal channels to go through?
I just had a wild thought; would it be practical, or even possible, to build a bridge over the slide? Let the mountainside find it’s equilibrium and just avoid the whole area. They’d probably need to install supports through there, but it would be less of a pain than trying to maintain a road.
No. The other side is just as unstable.
She wrote “over the slide?, not “over the river”. Sidehill “bridges” are a fairly common approach to dealing with localized slides, but they’re very expensive, and can’t be dropped into place overnight. You have to know exactly where the ground is moving (area and depth), and where it is NOT moving, in order to design a structure that will work.
Thanks; that makes sense.
There was an article on RHBB a week or so ago about traveling from Syskiyou County to Eureka before there was a 299 or 36. Not for the faint of heart. Our formothers and fathers were made from sturdier stuff? Be grateful we have it as easy as we do….
No let’s be real here we pay 69 cents a gallon calo tax plus measure O county tax which went to fund some administration position when people are literally dying on our roads.
Grateful shouldn’t be the world. Liability and Willful Negligence are appropriate
People had more reliance on themselves rather than some government agency to do the work. Back in those days there was no government help at all. Not unless you were a railroad or logging company.
Maybe consider this a taste of things to come? Life gets harsher and the further from “civilization ” you live the better off you’ll be. No 36 or 299 or 101…..maybe a godsend.
Actually people relied on each other more. Now we shoot people for approaching our front door.
I should clarify “Themselves” as having little to no reliance on government money, personnel, equipment or assistance, not their next-ranch-over neighbors. There was much more “community” and cooperation in that sense, but as a group, it was whatever they came up with to deal with overland travel issues. Government was generally nowhere to be found unless you were the mail carrier or a Marshall. That shooting someone at the door has not ever really left the area here. People still do. Things were far more violent back in those days when they did get out of hand. There are many ghosts in our hills.
I appreciate the update from Caltrans. Now the other problem is our mail. We are not getting our mail. I wonder what can be done about this?
See who can contract with USPS to deliver on rural routes.
They are using choppers now to remove material from the slide site. Why can’t they build a bridge from the large turnout before the slide into the Van Duzen River and go down stream far enough past the slide area and back on 36. I can’t see any other method than a bridge to accomplish this. I know they will have to file for an environmental impact report, but they should do away with the red tape involved and move forward before more people are killed or injured using alternate routes that take you miles off your planned route. They have wasted enough money already that would have given the bridge a head start!
Going out in the river bed ? I don’t think so… the flood in ’64 really tore that section up.
Then you have the costs.
$500K for the ‘study’ committees/engineering.
$500M for for the road re-alignment.
Remember that the original routes to that area didn’t go up the river beyond Strongs Station (was at the base of Redwood House).
Pretty sure the Pioneers figured the ground was unstable.
Original access was Kneeland-Bridgville and Redwood House Road.
Make those roads 2 lane blacktop ?
Then you have the costs.
$500K for the ‘study’ committees/engineering.
$500M for for the road re-alignment.
Heh… CalTrans had the engineering complete for the ‘bypass’ around Richardson Grove.
(Long ago.)
— but —
Well, it ain’t been built yet.
Bozo, I am still sticking with my original comment about building the bridge. I really don’t expect any more floods like 1955 and 1964. Look at the fairly new bridge leading into Rio Dell going South. Those piers withstood the flood with no decking even in place that was connected yet. I was amazed that they did not topple over.
Ok so you’ve mitigated the floods, now you get to deal with the seismology of the area and the rest of the hillside coming down during winter. Or any day ending in Y, really. All you need is a few well placed rocks on a bridge deck that bounced off a hill, and you have the potential of someone not only having a couple of popped tires, you have a real risk of them going off the edge of elevated sections and into the river.
Your suggestion may be a feasible one…eventually, but like bozo said, where you going to get the money? It’s already tied up in other places, Last Chance grade being one of the more expensive ones and with higher priority. 36 has just never been at the top of anyone’s list when problems do happen. All that effort over the last 30-40 years was widening and straightening 299, and some bypasses.
So people can trash the beautiful ranches redwood house road goes through and put thier livelihoods in jeopardy as a rancher no thank you I will take the extra time and plan accordingly to drive around till they get the road fixed and Yes I have to drive redwood house most everyday to get to and from work