Thinking of cruising up to Crescent City this weekend? You might want to reconsider.

Caltrans announced Wednesday that U.S. Highway 101 will be completely closed to traffic in Del Norte County just south of the Mill Creek Park entrance from 9 a.m. at least until 5 p.m. Sunday, March 16 as work crews stabilize a slide.

“A full highway closure will be necessary for safety, and to help reopen the highway more quickly,” Caltrans said in a news release. No reasonable detour is available, but those desperate to party down in Crescent City on Sunday can drive out State Route 299 to State Route 96, and up State Route 169. It will tack at least another two hours onto the trip, though. Caltrans spokesman Scott Burger informed the Journal that State Route 169 is incomplete (apparently Mapquest can't be trusted) and said the agency is recommending State Route 299 to Interstate 5 North up to U.S. Highway 199 west. It's a long haul so, really, folks are best advised just to time their trip to avoid Sunday's closure.

Following the closure, Caltrans will re-open the highway to one-way, controlled traffic through March 18 and motorists should expect 15-minute delays.

See Caltrans’ full press release below.

The following is a press release from Caltrans:

FULL CLOSURE OF US HIGHWAY 101
NEAR HAMILTON ROAD IN DEL NORTE COUNTY THIS SUNDAY


Eureka – Caltrans has announced that a highway safety operation to remove unstable slide material will occur on US Highway 101 in Del Norte County from just south of Hamilton Road to 0.6 miles south of the Mill Creek Park Entrance this Sunday, March 16. A full highway closure will be necessary for safety, and to help reopen the highway more quickly.

The full highway closure will be in place during the first phase of the operation beginning at 9AM, Sunday, March 16 and may last until 5PM with no available detour. Following the first phase, US Highway 101 will be opened to one-way traffic control through Tuesday, March 18. During one-way traffic control, expect up to 15 minute delays. All work is weather dependent.

Please watch for bicyclists, and remember to Slow for the Cone Zone. For the most current road information on all State highways, please call 1-800-427-7623 (1-800-GAS-ROAD) or visit www.dot.ca.gov.