Several OCTA Board members and CEO Darrell E. Johnson joined with local, state and federal representatives on September 4 to welcome the first load of sand delivered to San Clemente as part of OCTA’s ongoing emergency effort to protect the coastal rail line.
More than 300 truckloads of sand from a quarry in Palm Springs, totaling approximately 3,400 cubic yards, were delivered to the shoreline between the rail line and the ocean.
This first wave of sand is an important initial deposit on a much larger effort to place a total of up to 540,000 cubic yards along the San Clemente coastline, pending sand sourcing and additional state and federal permitting approvals.
The sand is being placed along the beach as an immediate step to help reinforce the rail line while longer-term reinforcement work continues.
OCTA Vice Chair Federico and Directors Foley, Go, Nguyen, Stephens, Tavoularis, and Tettemer joined Senator Blakespear, Congressman Levin, Assembly Member Davies, and San Clemente City Council Members at the event, underscoring the strong local, state, and federal support behind this vital coastal rail protection effort.
“I want to thank the collective effort of agencies and leaders at every level of government who helped make this initial sand placement a reality,” said OCTA Vice Chair Jamey M. Federico, also a Dana Point Councilmember. “Reaching this milestone was possible because of our federal and state partners, multiple agencies including the Federal Railroad Administration, the California State Transportation Agency, California Transportation Commission, the Coastal Commission, the City of San Clemente, and the community.”
The work is part of OCTA’s ongoing effort to focus on four priority areas to protect the rail line through south Orange County, which is a vital link in Southern California’s rail network for passengers, freight and military assets. The sand nourishment is estimated to cost about $900,000.