The Orange County Transportation Authority Board of Directors heard a proposal from OCTA staff at their Monday, March 11 meeting about a $200 million project to place a half-mile of wall and riprap along the San Clemente coastline.
The proposal was included in a report staff provided the board Monday from the initial assessment phase of OCTA’s ongoing Coastal Rail Resiliency Study (CRRS), for which the board awarded a contract in August 2023.
In response to “imminent threats” to railroad operations requiring immediate action, the Critical Project Roadmap would place a half-mile-long wall between Linda Lane and the area just north of the San Clemente Municipal Pier. Additionally, crews would place a total of a half-mile of riprap and three-quarters of a mile of revetment, or a facing of armoring material, between North Beach and Linda Lane and near Cyprus Shores.
“The imminent threats were identified in January 2024, but other imminent threats may emerge due to the dynamic nature of the coastal rail corridor,” the report read in relation to the need for action.
With passenger rail service through San Clemente suspended five times since 2021, each time in connection to a slope failure, the CRRS aims to develop short- to medium-term solutions to protecting seven miles of rail infrastructure between Doheny State Beach and Cyprus Shores and the San Diego County line. Other goals include minimizing passenger and freight rail interruptions and collaborating with stakeholders to develop a comprehensive coastal program.
The Critical Project Roadmap included a 15-month timeline divided into three phases, assuming OCTA receives permission for emergency permits and emergency methods of procuring a design and build contract.
Initiating the project and securing funding is anticipated to take two months, followed by three months for obtaining materials and a contractor and 10 months for construction.
OCTA would be responsible for outreach, the concept design and all permit-related matters; the California State Transportation Agency and the California Department of Transportation would provide funding; the Southern California Regional Rail Authority would be responsible for the design and build contract; and the City of San Clemente would be responsible for restoring the pedestrian Beach Trail, according to the report.
San Clemente Mayor Victor Cabral told San Clemente Times that city officials met with OCTA officials at the site of the Mariposa Pedestrian Beach Trail Bridge on Tuesday, March 12, and discussed the proposal.
While the city understands the proposal would protect the railroad, officials are hoping to nudge OCTA toward a cheaper, long-term and more natural approach.
“We think, as a city, that it would be more effective to lay more sand down that would protect the tracks and also protect the hillside, and have the additional benefit of providing a better look for our city and for our residents,” Cabral said.
Asked about OCTA’s continued actions of placing riprap and revetments in response to slope failures, Cabral said those methods were the easiest, but they wouldn’t provide the benefits San Clemente and its residents desire, which is a better beach.
The initial assessment identified seven monitoring locations and four locations for potential reinforcement, recommending semi-annual monitoring of erosion and riprap conditions at Doheny Beach, North Beach, Linda Lane and Cyprus Shores.
Staff noted the feedback received through listening sessions conducted this past winter asked OCTA to consider other natural solutions and to seek partnerships, and expressed concern for impacts to commuting patterns and regional tourism.
The CRRS’ next steps include the draft issue of purpose and need and evaluation criteria scheduled for this spring and initial concept development, which will span this spring to this fall. A final feasibility report is anticipated to be issued in fall 2025.
Also on March 11, OCTA released another update to the public regarding construction near the Mariposa site.
The latest efforts in constructing a roughly 200-foot-long catchment wall included the placement of wooden panels in between 33 steel beams, which was finished on Sunday, March 10. The OCTA and Metrolink project team is also working to integrate a culvert and drainage system with the wall, with grading, trenching and additional soil work on the privately owned hillside scheduled this week.
Amtrak Pacific Surfliner passenger trains and BNSF freight trains continue to pass through the area with Metrolink operating trains as far south as the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station on weekdays and San Juan Capistrano on weekends.
“Metrolink’s track department is beginning work to restore the ballast, which includes the removal of mud and dirt that has inundated the right of way,” the OCTA release added. “The effort, which could take up to two weeks, is essential for the long-term stability of the track and critical before trains can safely resume speeds above 10 mph.”
The City of San Clemente announced on Friday, March 8, that its Beach Trail will be closed from the North Beach parking lot to the Mariposa work area to accommodate construction equipment.
OCTA anticipates the project will be completed by the end of March, with Metrolink service through the area to and from Oceanside expected to resume in early April.