New Idria Road still nearly impassable

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It’s been over a year since rain storms caused a washout on New Idria Road in south San Benito County, effectively eliminating access to ranches and some federal recreation lands. The road was first washed out in 2021. 

“It means that there is no reliable, safe way to bring trailers to properties and cattle ranches,” local rancher Andrew Frazier told BenitoLink. “For rural folks, that’s a pretty impactful part.”

Adjacent to the washout is the Ashurst Ranch, which some motorists have used to go around the washout despite the “No Trespassing” signs posted. The wire fence surrounding the private property from the road kept getting cut, so a temporary gate was created to allow motorists to get through. 

“With cattle on the property, the cut fences meant cattle could get out on the road,” said John Nino, who runs cattle on the Ashurst Ranch. “So we just had to do it for liability purposes.”

He added, “Fortunately, they’ve been good about going through and closing the gate, keeping the cattle safe.”

But that still left those attempting to pass with a steep hill to climb. 

“People need four-wheel drive to get through the pass,” Panoche Inn owner Kim Lippert told BenitoLink. “It’s steep.”

She said people who travel on New Idria Road, which is already in disrepair, are local ranchers and those visiting Clear Creek Management Area and the now closed New Idria Mercury Mine. 

Frazier said the washout has compromised the day-to-day ability to run a ranch and that he was concerned the landowner may eventually stop providing access through the adjacent property.

“It’s additional costs or outright losses if you can’t get cattle to the grazing areas that you need and move them back afterwards,” Frazier said. 

He said he did not graze cattle there in 2023.

“It does have an impact,” Frazier said. “For some families it is absolutely essential.” 

According to a presentation by San Benito County Public Works Administrator Steve Loupe to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors in November, the county finished Phase 1 of the cleanup, which included pulverizing the road and adding tar and sand to a 10-mile stretch near the washout. 

In regards to fixing the washout, Loupe told the supervisors he expected pipes to arrive in the third week of November and work to begin soon after that. He told BenitoLink Jan. 29 the contractor had been authorized to begin work but the project had faced delays because of rain.

“We’re hopeful that with only light rains the washout repairs can commence starting next week,” Loupe said. “If we have any big water and storm runoffs down in south county it might still be delayed.”

The delays have some ranchers frustrated and saying they won’t believe it will be fixed until it’s fixed.

“The washout is dangerous and they need to get it fixed,” Nino said. “We hear they’ll be fixing it in the spring, then spring comes and nothing gets done.”

Caltrans defines chip seal as the “application of asphalt binder on existing pavement followed by a layer of aggregate chips. The treatment is then rolled to embed the aggregate into the binder.”

Loupe said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is funding over $300,000 of the expected $323,000 cost of the temporary repair that consists of installing two large pipes, rocks and filling the road to its original grade. 

“That’ll prevent small storms from washing out that area,” he said.

Loupe added the design and environmental analysis for a bridge that is considered a permanent solution is 40% done. For this project, Loupe said the county received $2.5 million out of $3.9 it sought from the state. He said he expects the project to cost more than was awarded though he won’t have an estimate until the design is completed.

“The soonest the permanent repair can begin would be spring 2025,” Loupe said. “I would love it if we can do that.”

Loupe confirmed with BenitoLink Jan. 29 the Phase 2 of repairing a separate area of New Idria Road—chip seal and reconstruction near Griswold Hills—is expected to begin in the spring.

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