Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Environment

SANDAG Begins Next Phase Of Del Mar Bluff Emergency Repairs

A Coaster train running through a neighborhood in Del Mar, April 14, 2021.
Alexander Nguyen
/
KPBS
A Coaster train running through a neighborhood in Del Mar, April 14, 2021.

The next phase of emergency repairs began Monday morning on the Del Mar Bluffs, where a bluff collapse occurred in late February, according to the San Diego Association of Governments.

During this phase of construction, crews will clear vegetation, remove debris, grade sections of the bluffs and build a support berm to further stabilize the bluffs.

Temporary concrete barriers, or "K-rail," will be installed on the beach to protect beachgoers from falling debris and to help minimize bluff erosion from high tides. Beachgoers are encouraged to use caution near construction areas.

Advertisement

Work will take place Monday through Friday, however, work hours will be influenced by tide levels.

Later this summer, crews will install new sea walls along the beach south of Fourth Street in Del Mar.

In March and April, SANDAG crews graded the area around the recent bluff collapse, drilled 18 concrete and steel piles into the bluffs, and installed tieback anchors to reinforce the bluffs and protect the tracks.

Work to stabilize the bluffs is ongoing and is anticipated to be complete in the fall.

SANDAG and the North County Transit District are leading efforts to stabilize portions of the 1.7 miles of coastal bluffs in Del Mar. This part of the 351-mile Los Angeles — San Diego — San Luis Obispo rail corridor is a link for passenger and freight movements within San Diego County, as well as between San Diego, Los Angeles and points farther north.

Advertisement

Phase 4 stabilization efforts will cost about $5.8 million and are being funded through a combination of federal, state, and local sources.

The North County Focus newsletter is your bi-weekly guide to all the news coming from North County, plus a handpicked selection of events and trivia tidbits.