Caltrans Lays Out Three Phases to Hold the PCH Bluff at El Morro as the Lane Closure Continues

The right lane of southbound Pacific Coast Highway remains closed between Irvine Cove Drive and Reef Point Drive, and it will stay closed until repairs are complete, City Manager Dave Kiff said in a joint video update the City of Laguna Beach posted on Sunday. Kiff appeared alongside Dr. Don Austin, the superintendent of the Laguna Beach Unified School District, to address the highway damage on the stretch between Irvine Cove and El Morro Elementary School.

Caltrans is stabilizing the slope in three phases, Kiff said. The first phase covers the crack that opened in the bluff below the highway. In the second phase, crews place large rocks at the base of the slope. The third phase is a longer term fix, worked out with California State Parks, which manages the Crystal Cove land beside the highway at El Morro.

Surf breaks over the layered rocks at Pelican Point in Crystal Cove State Park. The crack in the bluff below the highway followed days of powerful surf and high tides on this coast.

NorbertNagel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Source

The closure dates to last week, when the crack was found in the bluff supporting the highway near Crystal Cove State Park, just north of the Laguna Beach city line. This newspaper reported on Oct. 14 that Caltrans crews had inspected the bluff on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and that city officials expected the lane closure to last at least several days. Sunday's update set no reopening date, tying the lane's return to finished repairs instead.

For the school district, the immediate news is that buses are running normally. School buses are operating on their usual routes under the current Caltrans guidance, and the district is prepared to adjust routes if that guidance changes, the city said. In the video, Austin said the district has been planning internally for more than a week for possible reroutes, because families who live beyond El Morro depend on the highway.

The cracked rock shelf at Pelican Point, looking north along the Crystal Cove coast. Caltrans will cover the crack below the highway, armor the base of the slope with large rocks, then design a longer term fix with State Parks.

NorbertNagel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · Source

The city urged parents to switch on ParentSquare notifications for school updates and residents to sign up for Nixle alerts for city updates, and it advised drivers to allow extra travel time past the slow stretch at El Morro. Rain is on the way this week, with The Weather Channel forecasting showers for Laguna Beach on Wednesday and the heaviest rain on Wednesday night, which raises the stakes for getting the slope covered and armored first.