Residents of Nelson Road, essentially stranded since the March 21 rockslide that buried the roadway and cut off 33 homes, celebrated the completion and opening of a temporary bypass roadway 12 days later on the evening of April 2.
According to Steve Wiesner, assistant director of the Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works, the bypass’ opening was greeted with fanfare and champagne when Granite Construction crews finished the work at 8 p.m.
The one-lane bypass is rated to carry up to 5 tons – strong enough for emergency and propane vehicles, Wiesner said.
Though residents can now come and go there is still no timetable for the Nelson Road slide to be cleared.
“It’s really a temporary crossing,” Wiesner said. “It’s not a permanent road by any stretch of the imagination.”
Garbage trucks, however, are too heavy for the bypass, he said, and dumpsters are being arranged for the residents’ use outside the slide area.
The bypass is a gravel roadway along Ruins Creek, and passes through Dan Norman’s private property and a driveway belonging to members of the Eclectia co-operative.
It has been weatherized and augmented by four culverts to allow the temporary roadway to withstand foul weather.
“Right now, we’re trying to get a handle on what’s going on there geologically,” Wiesner said.
“We’re moving ahead as fast as we can, but nature doesn’t follow a timetable.”
