Time-lapse video shows cracked Big Sur bridge being rebuilt

Big Sur residents stranded by highway and bridge closures may soon be getting some relief. Time-lapse video released by Caltrans on Wednesday shows progress being made on the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge.

Between Aug. 21 and Aug. 28, crews put in place steel support beams upon which the new Highway 1 bridge will eventually sit. Caltrans said they hope to finish the work by late September or early October.

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Crews worked through the Labor Day holiday to make sure the bridge is completed on time.

"There is no more. There's no days off until it's done," Caltrans Structural Representative David Galarza told KRON 4.

Caltrans declared the cracked Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge in Big Sur beyond repair in February. Caltrans declared the cracked Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge in Big Sur beyond repair in February. Photo: Kodiak Greenwood Photo: Kodiak Greenwood Image 1 of / 65 Caption Close Time-lapse video shows cracked Big Sur bridge being rebuilt 1 / 65 Back to Gallery

Crews still have to lower the bridge into place, add rebar and pour concrete before the stretch of Highway 1 can reopen, according to KRON.

The Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge closed during this year's brutally wet winter after cracks appeared in one of the bridge's support columns. Caltrans deemed the bridge was damaged beyond repair and closed it to traffic on Feb. 15.

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The problem was caused by heavy rains that started to shear off the hillside where the bridge was anchored. Caltrans spokesperson Jim Shivers said in February, "The bridge moved something like six to seven inches over the past week or so."

Big Sur also suffered several massive landslides along Highway 1. In May, a quarter-mile wide mudslide shut down a stretch of the highway in Monterey County that won't reopen until next year.