Rockslide shuts down cursed California highway

"A historic, and some might even say cursed, stretch of California highway remains closed on Tuesday in the wake of a massive rockslide created by last week's storms. Highway 41, known to many Californians as "Blood Alley," is a critical stretch of road that connects the Central Valley and the rest of California to the Central Coast between Paso Robles and Kettleman City. The section of road affected by the rockslide is near Cholame, with the incident occurring around 9 p.m. Sunday. A detour is currently available for motorists traversing that section of Central California, Caltrans officials said."

""Highway 41 is closed in both directions between the junction of Hwy. 46 and Hwy. 33 due to a rockslide," Caltrans posted on social media Monday morning. "A detour is available using Hwy. 46 and Hwy. 33 which would add one half hour of travel time. Crews are on site making repair assessments. No estimated time for reopening." Those who know a little about California lore will recognize the impacted section of highway as the famed spot where James Dean was killed on Sept. 30, 1955. That morning, Dean hopped into his new Porsche 550 and headed up to the coast toward Salinas for a road race. Around 5:45 p.m., his sports car passed through the intersection of highways 41 and 46 at Cholame and was struck by a car being driven across his lane by a Cal Poly student returning home to the Central Valley."

Highway 41 near Cholame remains closed following a massive rockslide caused by recent storms. Caltrans indicated the closure runs between the junction of Highways 46 and 33 and advised a detour using Hwy. 46 and Hwy. 33 that adds roughly 30 minutes. Crews are on site making repair assessments and working to remove debris and stabilize the slope. The affected stretch, nicknamed 'Blood Alley,' links the Central Valley to the Central Coast and is the location of James Dean's fatal 1955 crash. The site has a documented history of serious crashes and ongoing interchange improvement work.

Read at SFGATE