The Monterey County Board of Supervisors teed up a plan to ban parking from lots near the famed Bixby Bridge this week.

County leaders are grappling with a huge increase in traffic and illegal parking at the picturesque bridge at the north end of Big Sur since it reopened in January following a lengthy closure.

The Board of Supervisors is looking to prohibit parking at the bridge for a year before potentially opening it back up. Questions remained about whether the county or the state would bear the cost for enforcing the ban because it involves lots off state Highway 1.

Assigning a California Highway Patrol officer to enforce the ban on weekends would cost about $15,300.

A pared down Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 to direct staff to draw up the legislation, which will have at least two public hearings before being voted on, according to county spokesperson Nicholas Pasculli.

The bridge reopened to visitors in mid-January after being closed since February 2024, when a landslide north of Lucia restricted access to residents with one-way traffic controls.

The reopening marked the first unrestricted access between Carmel and Cambria in about three years, when another landslide about 6 miles south first blocked the highway.

Vehicles cross northbound traffic at Bixby Bridge along scenic U.S. Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast of Monterey County on May 3, 2026. Many tourists parked along the shoulder near the bridge have contributed to congestion since it reopened. (Mark Gaso/Bay City News)

Traffic on the northbound side of the bridge at Ragged Point increased by about 9 times the amount from the previous year and illegal parking increased on the roadside and even encroaching onto the highway, the county said in a statement.

The increased congestion has caused delays in emergency vehicle access and frustration from residents and commuters, as well as pedestrian safety concern, the county said.

County staff was also directed to seek a permit for the ban from Caltrans and clear the plan with the California Costal Commission.

County leaders had sought to prohibit parking at the bridge ahead of the three-day Memorial Day weekend, but the effort was delayed because of the need to pin down the logistics, including the staffing needs, permitting requirements and enforcement details, the county said in a statement.