The tunnels at Devil’s Slide!
Just south of Pacifica, California, on Highway 1 though San Mateo County, is a stretch of the road that clings precariously 
to a steeply sloping bit of land known as Devil’s Slide. It is best to do your sightseeing on that stretch of road while someone ELSE drives! 😉 Aside of the accidents that occur on the road, there is all of the weather-induced damage to the highway that can close Highway 1 for months at a time.
The twin 4,200-foot tunnels through San Pedro Mountain were supposed to be open by now. The latest estimate had the single-lane tunnels opening in late 2012, according to Caltrans. But the opening date has slipped into early 2013, according to Bob Haus, a Caltrans spokesman.
“It wasn’t really a delay,” Haus said. “We had last said December, but we realized that was a little optimistic. There is still a lot that needs to happen.”
Work on the tunnels themselves is completed. They’ve been bored out, slathered in concrete and paved – but the operating systems inside are still being installed and some finishing touches applied.
When the tunnels are done, drivers will discover a vastly different trip through Devil’s Slide. Instead of a curvy, sloping ride with dizzying views of the ocean, they will experience a straight ride through a concrete tube. Each tunnel will hold a single lane of traffic, 12-feet wide, with an 8-foot shoulder on the right and a 2-foot shoulder on the left.
Federal funds will cover the entire cost of construction, which rose from an initial estimate of $322 million to the current estimate of $439 million.
During 2006, heavy rains brought rocks the size of small cars down the slope to crash on the roadway, ripping apart the pavement. The $7 million repair job done by Caltrans with steel cable and concrete has prevented any major closures since!
The tunnels may lure drivers who have intimidated by the highway through Devil’s Slide. According to SFGate.com:
Bike riders and hikers will benefit, too. When the tunnels open, Caltrans will abandon the 1.2-mile stretch of Highway 1 and turn it over to San Mateo County, which will spend about nine months converting it into the first phase of the Devil’s Slide Coastal Trail. Then it will be turned over to hikers and bikers.
“It’s a wonderful, beautiful view,” McHugh said, “and we really don’t get to see it while we’re driving by.”
Personally, I’ll miss driving through the area, but I will look forward to the opportunity to do some photography of the area on foot!
-Bill at
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