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2/29/2024
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), Metrolink and contractor Condon-Johnson and Associates have launched construction on a catchment wall that will protect the OCTA-owned rail right of way from sliding soil and debris from the privately-owned San Clemente hillside in California.
Two large rigs recently began drilling to subsequently place steel beams that will serve as the foundation for the catchment wall. The wall currently under construction at Mariposa Point is expected to stand 10 to 15 feet above ground, stretch approximately 200 feet in length and be supported by steel beams that will be placed 30 feet below ground.
BNSF Railway Co.'s traffic remains halted through the area because of continued hillside soil movements. The hillside and project are monitored hourly, and the team is working toward allowing freight trains to safely travel through the area as quickly as possible, OCTA officials said in a news release.
The wall is anticipated to be completed in mid-March, which will be followed by necessary track repairs. Regular passenger-rail service is anticipated to begin as early as late March or early April, with the schedule subject to change, OCTA officials said.