High tides erode bluffs beneath Coast Highway 101 in Cardiff
Extreme high tide and wind-whipped swells brought the ocean up over barriers and against sea walls along the San Diego County coastline.
Recent extreme tidal conditions appear to have eaten away part of the sandy bluff that supports Coast Highway 101 in Cardiff, forcing Encinitas to launch an emergency repair effort.
Two sections of the bluff on the east side of the highway have eroded, city Public Works Director Glenn Pruim said Monday. The larger of the two spots is 30 feet long and about eight feet deep.
The smaller section, however, is more worrisome because it has started undercutting the roadway. The city has had to close one of the two northbound lanes, Pruim said.
People who live just east of the highway notified the city about the bluff erosion during the Thanksgiving weekend. Huge annual high tidal conditions, called “King tides,” hit San Diego County during Thanksgiving week and returned this week.
“You can never tell for sure [what causes bluff erosion], but it certainly coincided with the high tidal activity,” Pruim said.
Contractors will begin stabilizing the two eroded areas along the coast highway later this week, carving out a bit more of the bluff and then installing concrete riprap that will erode less easily than the sandy soil, Pruim said.
The project is expected to cost $60,000.
Henry writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune
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