[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 122 (Thursday, July 19, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H6578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE REOPENING OF HIGHWAY 1
(Mr. PANETTA asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, I am proud today to recognize the reopening
of Highway 1, located south of Big Sur in Monterey County in my
district on the Central Coast of California.
Two winters ago, after a long drought and then a large amount of
rain, there were a number of landslides along scenic Highway 1, just
south of Carmel and north of Morrow Bay. One of those landslides
occurred 14 months ago, when close to 8 million cubic yards of dirt and
truck-sized rocks came sliding down off that mountain, taking Highway 1
and putting a quarter mile of it right into the Pacific Ocean.
This was the largest landslide and the longest closure along that
stretch of the world's most scenic roadway. Unfortunately, it prevented
many people from traveling on that route and many businesses in Big Sur
from benefiting from that tourism.
But now, 3 months ahead of schedule, the California Department of
Transportation, Caltrans, finished rebuilding this road, literally on
top of the slide, and it will open today.
I recognize the opening of Highway 1 because it is an example of what
can happen when people work hard, work smart, and, most importantly,
work together.
Congratulations, and all of us in this body can learn from this.
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