This past weekend marked the first weekend in nearly three years that Highway 1 between Big Sur and the Central Coast has been fully open, giving Cambria businesses a boost.
“Yeah, this weekend was super busy and then even after that, and I think people are still coming into town. They’re still really curious,” said Cindi Wittmeyer, Verder of Cambria owner.
Wittmeyer told KSBY they’ve had more people coming into the shop compared to previous years during this time.
One of those people is Larry Retallack from Nevada County, who was staying in Cambria specifically to drive the scenic Highway 1.
“I haven’t been up this coast for many, many years," Rerallack said. "I’m going to say 50 years ago last time, so I’m very well looking forward to going up."
He added that he found out the news on YouTube and immediately told his wife to plan a trip after hearing the highway was back open.
“It’s just nice not having to go inland to go north, just traveling the coast," Retallack said. "California is one of the most beautiful coasts in the world and that’s what we’re looking forward to.”
Mauro Maressa opened up a gallery in Cambria shortly before the Highway 1 closure. He said that his clientele has mainly been from the Central Valley.
“Lately, it’s getting a bit more from down south as well as from up north due to the [Highway] 1 opening," Maressa said.
As for Wittmeyer, she’s hopeful for what the future holds.
“We are all crossing our fingers that if anything else happens that, what is it 50 or 150 bars went through the mountain to keep it from falling," Wittmeyer said. "Like, I don’t know if we can stop Mother Nature but we’re hoping that this will do the job.”
According to Caltrans, the cost to reopen the highway was around $82 million.
