A section of beach-front hillside in San Clemente collapsed Saturday, Nov. 16, prompting a bridge portion along the popular coastal pathway to be “closed indefinitely.”
The closure spans from the El Portal steps to Mariposa point.
“This is probably going to be a long-term closure,” said Tom Bonigut, San Clemente’s director of public works. “We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but it’s just not safe.”
The city also warned that it is “illegal and unsafe” to walk along the nearby railroad tracks.
Getting past the area by way of the beach is also made challenging with high tides that push waves directly onto the rocks lining the beach, leaving nowhere to walk. At lower tides, there is sand to stroll on along the water’s edge.
“Use caution and be aware of the tide,” Bonigut said.
On Tuesday, Nov. 19, trail walkers, joggers and bikers stopped short at detour signs. They were directed up the steps at El Portal to Buena Vista, where they continued their trek alongside houses before being able to reconnect with the beach trail.
Another chain-link fence blocked the bridge entrance closer to the slide, with big signs warning “No Trespassing” and “Danger.”
Daiana Ledesma was on her weekly walk with mom Nadia when they were redirected from the trail. She hadn’t heard of recent landslides and thought workers were painting.
“It’s the best things. This is the best spot, it just lets you breathe in the fresh air,” Ledesma said of the trail, which opened in 2007 and spans from North Beach south to San Clemente State Beach at Calafia Beach.
The detour didn’t bother her much — it was just an excuse for a “little adventure,” she said.
“It’s cool to walk up the stairs,” Ledesma said.
Ayman Nemo arrived while on a long bike ride from Doheny State Beach. He said he normally makes the trek all the way to Calafia Beach where the beach path ends.
“I normally go all the way down, but I guess with the detour I have to follow the signs,” he said, before opting to turn around after taking a look at the steep staircase.
The stretch of path was first barricaded Thursday, Nov. 14, after part of the hill crumbled down to the bridge.
Bonigut was at the site at sunset Friday and reported that the section of trail was re-opened after workers cleared the debris. But at some point before Saturday morning there was an even larger slide at the bluff, this one damaging a section of the bridge.
Bonigut said people have been taking down the barriers or cutting chain fencing around the unstable area to make their way through.
“We really need them to respect the closure,” he warned. “This isn’t something we can just sweep up and open back up.”
He said people also should avoid walking along the entrance railroad tracks, where there is a dangerous blind spot along a curve.
Liz Dyer, who recently moved from San Clemente to Laguna Beach, on Tuesday followed the detours from the south end of the trail through the residential street.
“It’s really the only trail that you can walk right next to the beach for a long time,” she said. “It’s very relaxing and I can usually bring my dog down here too, which other trails you cannot.”
While she was surprised by the closure, she said, the detour “wasn’t too bad.”
Rains expected this week could further complicate matters, especially if dirt spills onto the railroad tracks.
“We’re just going to inspect it and go out there through the day … and just see what happens,” Bonigut said. “We just have to see if it’s done shifting and monitor it.”
Removing the dirt that is piled up against the bridge railings or trying to secure the cliff is tricky, because “no one wants to cause instability of the bluff.” There’s also coastal permits that might need to be secured before work can be done.
Condos on the cliff do not seem to be in jeopardy, Bonigut said.
The bridge was put on this stretch of pathway for a reason: There is little space along the trail and planners expected the steep bluffs to erode over time. For 15 years, when dirt crumbled down, it would slip under the bridge and go toward the beach.
“But now we’ve had this big chunk come off and no one is sure how much more will come off or when,” Bonigut said. “Mother Nature in action.”
Several Southern California beach bluffs have crumbled in recent months.
Another landslide in San Clemente, north of the latest one, shut down a portion of street and pathway along Pacific Coast Highway between Avenida Pico and Camino Capistrano. City planners are in the permitting process with the California Coastal Commission to secure the slide area.
In August, three people died in an Encinitas landslide.
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