Help! 101 Closed at Legget

[RichardL]

My wife is currently stranded in Garberville as 101 is closed due to a rock slide in Leggett. She is travelling back to the bay Area from Eureka. She tried the detour suggested by Google but it ended on mud roads in the hills, so she returned to Garberville.

Can anyone with local knowledge advise when the road will re-open - all I could find was a comment saying 'maybe on Wednesday'.

I have advised her to return to Eureka where she can charge and where, if need be she can wait things out.

Would going across to I-5 via 299 be viable in the X? if so, assuming she charges in Eureka, how far is it across to charging on 5?

Maybe she should leave the car and fly?

Any help gratefully taken!

 

[HumanGenome]

There are so many highways connecting 5 and 101 up there, windy but perfectly safe. Just make sure to have enough charge and there are no additional road closures. Beautiful driving and a lot of fun! You have an AWD Model X, tell her she is fine

 

[cpa]

I suggest backtracking to Eureka and getting a range charge.

Then, if she likes narrow, serpentine highways, she can drive SR36 east (just south of Fortuna near Alton) to Red Bluff on I5 and then proceed home.

An easier drive is SR299 east from just north of Arcata through Weaverville and onto Redding.

According to the CalTrans QuckMap, the anticipated reopening of 101 south of Garberville is April 28.

Those are the choices. Sorry.

 

[RichardL]

Thanks - she has done the range charge and is going to do 299 in the morning

I saw a report of Wednesday for re-opening. But April 28th seems more realistic looking at how big the slide is

 

[cpa]

I am happy that your wife is coming home today across 299. It will be a very long day for her to return to San Carlos.

I think the experience that your wife encountered is an important lesson for us with BEVs, especially here in California with the winter that we just had. The entire state is a mess, not only along the coast, but throughout the state. I think that it is imperative that we review our itinerary and routing in advance of each day's drive.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

I always take 36 to corning from Eureka (~8 times in my S). Nav says to take 299 but 36 is easier + shorter especially with the slides and closures on 299.
Also last night there was a multi fatality on 299 & traffic is so much heavier with 101 closed.

I recommend 36 to anyone that likes pretty and twisty roads, just watch out for growdozers!

I got stuck in Crescent City a few weeks ago when I needed to go to Home Depot to pick up a sink and 101 slid. The first time the Dora creek slide happened(current 101 closure) I needed to be in the Bay area that night for a retirement party. Had to take 36. Only took ~8 hours to get from Eureka to Los Altos. not bad considering the best I ever did with just 14-50's back in day was 8.5 hrs for the 310 miles

 

[ThisIsTrue]

I went to Humboldt State, and got messed up going to my parents' house on the SF Peninsula thanks to the slide at Legget -- it's a LONG-time problem! It's 196 miles from the Eureka supercharger to Corning, and there is some up and down driving. Take it easy and watch range predictions, and she should be fine. Let us know!

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

~180 miles from Eureka SC to Corning SC on hwy 36..I typically use 60 kWhr for this trip and it is 3-3.5 hrs.
if you take 299 it will be closer to 75 kWhr and I don't think I could make it without trying to drive slow, this is in a P85 with 19"AS tires.
You have a longer drive at higher average speed on 299, don't recommend it in a classic 85 or anything less

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

I think 101 will be closed for a couple of weeks at least

 

[ecarfan]

Thanks for posting that video. That is a massive slide. Google Maps shows 101 closed from Leggett to Garberville, and also the Alder Point Rd / Bell Point Rd bypass as closed, which is curious. Is there a slide somewhere on that route as well? Or is CalTrans only allowing local traffic on those roads so it is not overwhelmed by traffic that normally would be using the 101?

This is going to be really hard on those communities on the 101, as they are very dependent on tourism. I don't see how that slide can be cleared in time for the summer travel season.

 

[bmah]

OP, did your wife make it home OK?

Bruce.

 

[Khatsalano]

Wow, way to go, TMC community. Good way of helping out other owners!

Yes, CA-36 is beautiful, but also has more curves than Beyonce. Route 299 is easier. Safe travels.

- K

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

299 was closed again from a crashed big rig this morning, Bell springs is a big mess and they are only allowing local traffic through currently and probably until the slide is cleared. A spider hoe is getting heli dropped on the top of the slide today. My Boss is on his way down right now to get some drone footage too (will try and post if I can get some).We are looking at probably another inch of rain on Monday night...my WAG is maybe 3 weeks to get is cleaned up some?

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

Wow, way to go, TMC community. Good way of helping out other owners!

Yes, CA-36 is beautiful, but also has more curves than Beyonce. Route 299 is easier. Safe travels.

- K

'easier' depends. there are still full closures on 299 with openings on the hour and I would have 'range anxiety' going that way to Corning from Eureka & probably end up needing to draft cars/trucks on I-5

 

[ecarfan]

my WAG is maybe 3 weeks to get is cleaned up some?

Surely it will take longer than 3 weeks (once work has started, which apparently it hasn't yet) to clear that slide and make the road passable?

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

Surely it will take longer than 3 weeks (once work has started, which apparently it hasn't yet) to clear that slide and make the road passable?

'they' said this morning it will be open late next week hopefully.

 

[SMAlset]

Thanks - she has done the range charge and is going to do 299 in the morning

I saw a report of Wednesday for re-opening. But April 28th seems more realistic looking at how big the slide is

Did she make it home before the 299 closures? It's certainly a situation I would not want to be stuck in.

For people in the know, if you are driving 299 and get stuck in closures like that, are there places (business for example) along the way you can at least pull into to get a charge using your UMC adapters if you have to? Driving an ICE there's always the gas can someone can bring to you if a gas station is available. I'm use to hearing about the landslides along Hwy 17 in the Santa Cruz mountains during rainy season but not so much in other parts of Calif and later in the season especially. Lesson learned for any future mountain trips. Adding some type of charging stations along routes like this would seem useful especially if EV use becomes more prevalent.

 

[PLUS EV]

Sorry I didn't see this sooner, but I definitely would have used 36 instead of 299 given the potential range issues. I was surprised that most people in this thread were recommending 299 when it is 24 miles longer and even a few minutes slower (not that time is super important in this case). 36 is very windy, but as long as it's open and snow isn't an issue (I believe it's possible in winter, but really shouldn't be an issue on that route in April), she should have been fine.

Obviously you should call CalTrans and get a highway report before making such a drive just to be safe. You can just dial 511 when in the state of California. 1.800.427.7623 if you are out of state. If for some reason both highways have issues, diverting through Grants Pass, OR isn't the worst idea. It would add a few hours, but along relatively safe routes with no range anxiety. Obviously, you'd have to check highway conditions on 101, 199, and the Siskiyou Summit along I-5 if you were to go that route.


tl;dr:

First choice is 101 south.
Second choice is 36.
Third choice is 299.
Fourth choice is big diversion through Grants Pass.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

Did she make it home before the 299 closures? It's certainly a situation I would not want to be stuck in.

For people in the know, if you are driving 299 and get stuck in closures like that, are there places (business for example) along the way you can at least pull into to get a charge using your UMC adapters if you have to? Driving an ICE there's always the gas can someone can bring to you if a gas station is available. I'm use to hearing about the landslides along Hwy 17 in the Santa Cruz mountains during rainy season but not so much in other parts of Calif and later in the season especially. Lesson learned for any future mountain trips. Adding some type of charging stations along routes like this would seem useful especially if EV use becomes more prevalent.

there are a few RV parks on the way and a J1772 in Willow Creek. I thought there was a coffee place near Weaverville that had charging/14-50's but I don't see it on Plugshare now?

101 should be open today. they they worked 24-7 since Friday.

Caltrans is Shooting to Have One Lane of 101 Open This Evening

 

[RichardL]

She made it fine, thanks for all the help. She was advised by a 'local' in Garberville to avoid 36, which is why we decided on 299. The nav made its usual mistake of deciding about 30 miles in that she could not make it to Corning, but she did just fine with around 30 miles to spare. After that it was an easy, but long day for her.

However, that was the first long journey she has done in the X without me driving, and she absolutely loved the TACC etc. So she loves the car even more than as a passenger!