On March 31, OCTA submitted an Emergency Coastal Development Permit to the California Coastal Commission to expedite work to stabilize four areas most vulnerable to failure above the railroad track through San Clemente.
This effort allows OCTA to take immediate steps to protect a critical link in the state’s rail network. OCTA’s first action was to issue a request for information for contractors to provide dredging and transport options to expedite the sand placement component of the projects. OCTA expects to place approximately 540,000 cubic yards of sand.
Emergency action is necessary to prevent additional disruption of vital rail service. In addition, continued erosion requires quick action to repair and replace existing riprap, or large rocks placed between the tracks and shoreline, to help protect the tracks.
A series of landslides near Mariposa Point have occurred over the past year and debris and mud are nearing the top of the 12-foot-high temporary catchment wall constructed a year ago when a slope failure forced rail service to shut down.
OCTA has coordinated closely with the Coastal Commission and the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and other stakeholders since 2021, when an unstable private slope in the Cyprus Shore community of San Clemente forced the first of several closures totaling more than a year along the rail line that has been in place since the 1880s.
OCTA has addressed ongoing emergencies as they have occurred, and through a comprehensive process, four additional areas were identified that require immediate action to prevent loss of property and essential public rail services, as well as for the protection of life and public safety to avoid a catastrophic bluff failure.
“We appreciate the State agencies understanding that OCTA needs to take emergency action to help ensure the ongoing safe operation of the rail line and prevent additional disruptions of service and damage to critical rail infrastructure,” said OCTA Chair Doug Chaffee, also Orange County’s Fourth District Supervisor.
On April 14, the OCTA Board of Directors is expected to consider an action that will allow OCTA CEO Darrell Johnson to enter into emergency contracting agreements to expedite work on the four Coastal Rail Stabilization Priority Projects that were identified in 2024 as most vulnerable. If approved, the board action would allow OCTA to issue an emergency design-build procurement for construction of a catchment wall along Mariposa Point and direct Metrolink to repair and replace existing riprap, limiting the amount to only what’s necessary to protect the track.
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