NEAR BIG SUR, Calif. -- One part of Highway One has been closed since Sunday afternoon because of a major rockslide near Big Sur.
The slide is at Partington Ridge Road, just north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
The alternate routes for drivers are highways 68 to 101 to Jolon Road and then Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.
As Caltrans crews worked to clean up the rockslide on Wednesday, Highway One turned into a parking lot.
"It's important to be able to have that access," said Greg Worth, who lives and works in Big Sur. "Now I'm stuck on this side of the rockslide. I can't get home and I can't get to work, where I'm meant to be in the next couple of hours."
Vicki Topp said it has impacted the way of life for her, too. She said there's a process for her to even leave her house.
"Hike across the slide, come down on an ATV and be on the road without any extra stuff or figuring how to get home, or not get home," she said.
Despite Caltrans posting signs advising drivers about the closure, some visitors said they didn't see it coming.
"There should be further notice," said Bob Chao. "There should be other ways to get around."
Caltrans said the highway took 17 years to build, so it's focus is maintaining and improving it.
Crews said any improvements to the alternative routes, or creating a new one, could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and would be too great of an impact on the environment.
So, people like Topp are forced to deal with something like this almost every year.
"It's what we trade off for living here," she said.
Caltrans will open one lane on Thursday at 8 a.m., noon and 4 p.m.
Traffic flow will be controlled during those times.
