NEWPORT BEACH : Backbay Drive Won’t Reopen for a Month

Because of more than half a dozen landslides along the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Preserve, city officials have sealed off scenic Backbay Drive to all traffic for at least a month while crews clean up the area.

The heavy rains that fell earlier this month soaked the hillsides along Upper Newport Bay, triggering nine landslides.

The worst occurred Friday night, when about 2,000 cubic yards of dirt collapsed onto Backbay Drive and almost trapped a bicyclist, officials said. The slide occurred near the Park Newport Apartments about 5 p.m., officials said.

The Irvine Co. and the Park Newport Apartments management have agreed to pay for the cleanup of that slide, said Dawn McCormick, spokeswoman for the Irvine Co.

“We are still assessing the damage and will make the necessary repairs but have put no timeline on it yet,” McCormick said.

Dirt from that landslide remains piled more than 40 feet high on Backbay Drive, a popular thoroughfare that meanders along the east side of the bay. City geologists who have been surveying the site daily say the hillside has continued to crumble.

“It is still a very dangerous place to go,” said David Niederhaus, director of general services for the city.

There have been no reports of property damage and none of the apartments located about 150 feet from the slide are threatened, said Rick Higley, grading engineer for the city, who has surveyed the slide from the air.

The city closed a portion of Backbay Drive on Jan. 13 after heavy rainfall triggered several landslides. By Jan. 16, the city closed the entire road to all traffic as rain continued to cause isolated slides.

City workers last weekend erected barriers and posted danger signs at the four major access points to the area. Police have been out warning people to stay away and have issued citations to some who have ignored warnings.