VENTURA : Eroded Bike Path Closed While Repairs Are Considered

An oceanside bike path in Ventura that has been eroded to half its original width in some sections was closed Friday until officials decide whether the path can be saved.

The state Parks and Recreation Department put up wooden barricades at about noon to keep cyclists off a 100-foot-long section of the path just west of the Ventura County Fairgrounds, said Steve Chase, environmental coordinator for the city of Ventura.

Continual pounding from ocean waves has broken off large chunks of the path, reducing its width from 10 to five feet in two different sections and making it unsafe for cyclists, Chase said.

Although officials were aware previously that the bike path was eroding, they decided to close it Friday because of the high waves caused by the day’s storm. In addition, Chase said, high tides are expected this weekend, increasing the danger to cyclists along the path.

The path is owned by the Ventura County Fairgrounds, but managed by the state parks department, Chase said.

The bike path will remain closed until fairgrounds and state parks officials decide whether there is a solution to further erosion that would be acceptable to the California Coastal Commission, Chase said.

Fairgrounds officials are particularly concerned that their parking lot for fair visitors may be washed away eventually if the coastline area is not reinforced, he said.

But Coastal Commission guidelines forbid using concrete or other hard substances to shore up coastlines because such construction only diverts wave activity, leading to erosion in other areas, Chase said. The Coastal Commission may allow the area to be reinforced with compacted sand, he said.

Chase said he will meet Monday with officials from the fairgrounds, the state parks department and the Coastal Commission on Monday to discuss possible solutions.