Caltrans Secures $4 Million for the PCH Bluff at Crystal Cove as Both Southbound Lanes Face Closure
The crack below Pacific Coast Highway near Moro Beach measures about 360 feet long and 2 feet wide. Caltrans has emergency funding in hand and a second phase of slope work underway since Tuesday, and its plan would carry traffic one lane in each direction on the northbound side of the highway.
Caltrans has secured $4 million in emergency funding to repair the cracked slope below Pacific Coast Highway near Crystal Cove, and the agency plans to close both southbound lanes of the highway between Reef Point Drive and Irvine Cove Drive so the work can proceed. Under the plan, traffic would be reduced to one lane in each direction, with both directions carried on the existing northbound lanes, City News Service reported.
The timing is not settled. The City of Laguna Beach told residents the full southbound closure could come as soon as Tuesday. The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday that two approvals were still outstanding, from California State Parks and from the California Coastal Commission, before both southbound lanes could close and a northbound lane could be handed to southbound traffic. Until then, a single southbound lane, the one beside the slope, stays shut between Reef Point Drive and Irvine Cove Drive.
Whenever the full closure starts, drivers should expect a slow trip. In a statement, Caltrans said "Significant delays are anticipated" and advised motorists to use alternate routes. The closure, the agency said, "will remain in place for an undetermined duration."
Near Moro Beach, the fracture runs an estimated 360 feet, with a width of about 2 feet. It appeared earlier this month, in the wake of high tides and surf pounding the slope. The highway has run with its right southbound lane closed since last week, when the crack was found in the bluff supporting the road.
Against the coming storms, crews have sealed the crack under plastic sheeting, a step meant to stop rainwater from working into the slope, Caltrans said in a statement. Tuesday brought the start of phase two: a buttress built against the foot of the slope, faced with rock to brake its movement and wear. The timing matters: The Weather Channel forecasts showers for Laguna Beach on Wednesday, turning to thunderstorms on Wednesday night, with about half an inch of rain expected in total.
A third phase calls for Caltrans to work with California State Parks to "develop a long-term stabilization approach" for the slope, drawing on geotechnical data and on lessons from similar emergency repairs, the agency statement said. How long the full repair will take has not been announced, and whether the $4 million covers the whole job is unknown. A Caltrans spokesperson said the agency is focused on the Moro Beach slope and is not concerned about other stretches of the highway at this point. Surfer, which has published video of the tarping work above the beach, reported that Caltrans has enlisted Ortiz Enterprises, Inc. for the repair.
Drivers are asked to obey the signs and flagging in the work zone, budget extra time, and consult the Caltrans QuickMap before setting out.
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