The California Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that the southbound Highway 101 Camp Roberts Rest Area in Monterey County has reopened to the public after being closed for more than two years, while the southbound Gaviota Rest Area will be closed at least through the fall.
The Gaviota Rest Areas, which sit along both sides of Highway 101 at the Gaviota tunnel, have been closed on and off since at least summer 2021 for repairs of wastewater treatment systems and other reoccurring problems. They reopened briefly last December, but closed again following “major winter storm damage” in January.
Caltrans would not elaborate on the storm damage or other reasons contributing to the rest areas’ frequent closures.
The department did not say when either Gaviota Rest Area would reopen, but that a reopening date for the northbound rest stop will be announced once repairs — part of a $4.6 million project being done by Specialty Construction of San Luis Obispo — are complete.
The southbound rest stop will remain closed through the fall “for the safety of the traveling public due to ongoing traffic control related to emergency highway repair work.” Caltrans said it would maintain one lane open in this area, and the southbound rest area is being used as a staging area while highway repairs are being completed.
Meanwhile, work on the Camp Roberts Rest Areas began in May 2021, with contractor Newton Construction and Management of San Luis Obispo doing construction for the $4.2 million project.
Facility renovations and upgrades at the Camp Roberts Rest Areas include replacement of wastewater treatment system and upgrades to the electrical system to support more energy-efficient equipment.
While Caltrans said the electric vehicle charge station will be offline pending delivery and installation of a new cell signal power module, upgrades to the solar-powered EV station include the addition of a second charger.
A new automated infrastructure monitoring system also was added for maintenance crews to track and take care of issues more efficiently.
“These upgrades are designed to keep the rest areas open on a more consistent basis,” Caltrans said about the upgrades to the Camp Roberts Rest Areas.
The northbound Camp Roberts Rest Area remains closed pending completion of similar renovations that have been delayed by material deliveries, Caltrans said.
A map of rest areas on the state highway system and their status can be found on the Caltrans website here.