Days of downpour sent a mudslide tumbling onto Highway 1 at Devil's Slide Friday, closing the area for nearly six hours.
The slide occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m. Friday and crews from both Caltrans and the tunnel contractor were on scene to assess the situation, said Jeff Norris, district coordinator for the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Service.
By 9:20 p.m., the San Mateo County alert system delivered a message that Highway 1 was reopened.
The dangerous stretch of road on Highway 1 between Montara and Pacifica is prone to mud and land slides. It was closed for five months after an April 2006 storm caused the road to slip toward the ocean. This is the third closure of Devil's Slide in just over a decade. Last year, crews broke ground on the Devil's Slide tunnel, which is expected to open in 2010.
That was the one major incident in San Mateo County Friday, but the rainy weather is expected to continue through the weekend, Norris said.
Wet weather is expected through the weekend and will likely clear up Monday. A slight chance of rain will persist through next week, according the National Weather Service.
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The heavy rain combined with a high tide caused flooding and power outages throughout the county early Friday.
As of 6:30 p.m. Friday, 1,220 San Bruno and San Mateo customers were without power on the Peninsula, said J.D. Guidi, spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
Many homes and businesses were flooded early in the day, forcing emergency personnel and public works employees to deliver sandbags and vacuum pumps. By the afternoon, most flooding had subsided, Norris said.
Heavy flooding was reported in Moss Beach and Montara and along the bay near Highway 101 in Redwood City. Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay was under approximately two feet of water and State Route 92 at Skyline Boulevard was under two to three inches of water at approximately 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Emergency personnel were busy most of the day responding to minor accidents caused by fast drivers in the dangerous weather, according to Redwood City CHP office.
Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.
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