Caltrans engineers are scrambling to replace Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge, a 317-ft-long, concrete continuous box-beam bridge on a key coastal highway after mudslides moved one of the support columns more than a foot, causing the span to crack and bow.

Caltrans closed Highway 1 in Big Sur on Feb. 15 and determined that it would have to be replaced after a wet winter undermined the foundation on the steep hillside. The closure left some residents stranded, as other routes were blocked by mudslides in the area.