OCTA submits Emergency Costal Development Permit to expedite work on San Clemente rail corridor

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) submitted an Emergency Coastal Development Permit to the California Coastal Commission to expedite work to stabilize four areas most vulnerable to failure above the railroad track through San Clemente. 

OCTA notes the permit allows it to take immediate steps to protect a critical link in the state’s rail network. The agency first issued a request for information (RFI) for contractors to provide dredging and transport options to expedite the sand placement component of the projects. OCTA expects to place approximately 540,000 cubic yards of sand. 

According to the OCTA, emergency action is necessary to prevent additional disruption of vital rail service. In addition, continued erosion requires quick action to repair and replace existing riprap and deliver enough sand to help protect the tracks. 

The agency notes a series of landslides near Mariposa Point have occurred over the past year and debris and mud are nearing the top of the 12-foot-high temporary catchment wall constructed a year ago when a slope failure forced rail service to shut down. 

OCTA has coordinated closely with the Coastal Commission and the California State Transportation Agency and other stakeholders since 2021 when an unstable private slope in the Cyprus Shore community of San Clemente forced the first of several closures, totaling more than a year along the rail line that has been in place since the 1880s. 

The agency says it has addressed ongoing emergencies as they have occurred, and through a comprehensive process, four additional areas were identified that require immediate action to prevent loss of property and essential public rail services, as well as for the protection of life and public safety to avoid a catastrophic bluff failure. 

“We appreciate the state agencies understanding that OCTA needs to take emergency action to help ensure the ongoing safe operation of the rail line and prevent additional disruptions of service and damage to critical rail infrastructure,” said OCTA Chair and Orange County Fourth District Supervisor Doug Chaffee. 

On April 14, OCTA notes the board is expected to consider an action that will allow OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson to enter into emergency contracting agreements to expedite work on the four Coastal Rail Stabilization Priority Projects that were identified in 2024 as most vulnerable. 

If approved, the permit would allow OCTA to: 

• Issue an emergency design-build procurement for construction of a catchment wall along Mariposa Point, which is planned to include restoration of San Clemente’s popular pedestrian trail, and to build a revetment, seawall or functionally equivalent structure south of San Clemente State Beach. 
• Direct Metrolink to repair and replace existing riprap, limiting the amount to only what’s necessary to protect the track. 

OCTA says it is estimated that 5,100 cubic yards of riprap is needed to protect the track near Mariposa Point and nearly 50 times that amount – 240,000 cubic yards – of sand will be placed. At the southern end of the project near San Clemente State Beach, the agency notes 1,400 cubic yards of riprap repair, 22,000 cubic yards of engineered revetment, seawall or functionally equivalent structure and 300,000 cubic yards of sand have been identified as necessary to protect the track. In total, the agency estimates 95 percent of the project will be sand placement and five percent will be riprap placement. 

“For decades, South Orange County beaches eroded without adequate renourishment. This inaction caused widespread erosion, threatening our ocean economy, coastal rail corridor and endangering our national defense and commerce,” said OCTA Director and Orange County Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley. “Last year, OCTA secured more than $300 million to protect the four hot spot areas most vulnerable to catastrophic failure along the corridor. Today, OCTA is releasing our request for information to all sand renourishment contractors to begin the process of placing up to 540,000 cubic yards along San Clemente’s beaches.” 

OCTA notes that while all of the activities are necessary to resolve the emergency, they are expected to occur on different timelines based on their complexity and availability of contractors and material. Additionally, the design and amount of materials will be further refined and are subject to change as design is advanced. The agency says most of the activities will occur within its rail right-of-way. 

According to the OCTA, securing the permit does not relieve the agency of its responsibility for environmental mitigations, but it does enable them to expedite the design and construction processes. With the emergency process, OCTA estimates the projects could be delivered one to two years sooner than the standard permit process would allow. 

OCTA says the emergency work is consistent with the $305 million in state and federal grant funds OCTA received in late 2024 for the effort. The agency notes the LOSSAN corridor also plays a crucial role in the U.S.’s Strategic Rail Corridor Network by supporting military logistics, freight movement and passenger transportation, ensuring connectivity between key military installations and commercial hubs along the West Coast. 

“The release of the RFI, coupled with our Emergency Coastal Development Permit application to the Coastal Commission, shows the urgency we’ve placed to restore the safety and stability of our beaches and coastal rail corridor,” Foley said. “I appreciate the Coastal Commission’s consideration and willingness to work through an emergency permitting process.”