OCTA seeks emergency permit for California coastal rail stability work

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is expediting work to stabilize four vulnerable areas above the railroad track through San Clemente, California.

Yesterday, the authority submitted an emergency coastal development permit to the California Coastal Commission, OCTA officials said in a press release. 

Emergency action is needed to prevent additional disruption of rail service through the areas. A series of landslides near Mariposa Point over the past year has pushed debris and mud near the top of a 12-foot-tall catchment wall built last year when a slope failure forced rail service to shut down.

OCTA's board is scheduled to vote April 14 on entering emergency contracting agreements, including a design-build procurement for construction of a catchment wall along Mariposa Point. The authority also will need to place up to 540,000 cubic yards of sand and replace or repair riprap along the four vulnerable areas and has released a request for information from sand delivery contractors, OCTA officials said.

The emergency work is consistent with the $305 million in state and federal grant funds OCTA received in late 2024 for the projects, OCTA officials said. The emergency permit could expedite the project’s completion by one to two years, they saidl

Since 2021, closures on the San Clemente route have affected millions of passengers, more than $1 billion in annual freight movement, and military logistics.

“The release of the request for information 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,” said Kristina Foley, OCTA director.