A FAMOUS Californian tourist hotspot is on the brink of death as visitor numbers have slumped and businesses are struggling amid an ongoing major road closure.

More than six miles of Highway 1 on the stunning Central Coast have remained shut since February last year, when the Regent’s Slide sent rocks cascading from a great height onto the road.

Now business owners in San Simeon – a community about 40 miles south of the highway – say their livelihoods are “dying” because of the closure.

They depend on vital tourist traffic from those traveling along the Big Sur Coast , renowned for its dramatic, rugged coastal scenery.

Highway 1 has not been entirely open since a previous landslide in January 2023 forced authorities to cut off a separate two-mile stretch.

Albert Barreto owns the Coa

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