Crews Begin to Clear Debris, Install Wall by Railroad Tracks

Work crews began clearing tons of landslide debris Wednesday from the railroad tracks on the Los Angeles to San Diego line, and officials said the effort would not jeopardize nearby ocean bluffs.

As construction workers drilled into the huge pile of fallen earth and stone to install a 20-foot-high retaining wall by the tracks, officials said the massive slide that struck Feb. 22, destroying five homes, appears to have stabilized.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence that there won’t be any slides while we’re working here,” said George Truitt, project manager for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. “Our geologists feel this part of the slide is pretty stable.”

Railroad officials expect the tracks to be open next Wednesday. The track blockage has interfered with Amtrak commuter services and prevented freight shipments from reaching San Diego County.

At first, the officials thought the project would take less than three days, but concerns about further slippage from the landslide led the railroad to install the retaining wall.

The wall will be about 300 feet long, and about 44 steel girders will be sunk into the ground, some at depths of 40 feet. Wood planks will be secured to the beams to form the retaining wall.

The cost of clearing the tracks is expected to be $350,000, Santa Fe Railroad spokesman Mike Martin said. Dana Point officials estimate landslide damage to private property at $1.5 million. San Clemente homeowners who live on the ravaged cliff tops have suffered about $7 million in losses.

The homes are in San Clemente, but part of the cliff face, Pacific Coast Highway and the railroad tracks below are in Dana Point.

As railroad workers began the track excavation, San Clemente workers were busy digging the fourth in a series of shafts on top of the bluffs to gauge whether the ground is still moving.

The previous three holes, into which a geologist was lowered at depths of 100 feet to visually inspect the subsurface, have shown that the bluffs have drained well and seem to have stabilized, city officials said.

Originally, the city planned on making five holes, but officials said Wednesday that only four will be dug. In addition, markers placed on the street have not moved.

“Results have been positive so far,” said Jim Holloway, community development director, “but we’ve yet to get lab results back before we can state that the ground has stabilized.”

On La Ventana street, where five houses have been declared total losses and four others are being watched closely, residents whose homes survived the landslide were encouraged by word that the cliffs appear stable.

“I just hope that they’re right,” said Diane Ward, who lives across the street from the ruined homes. “This is one of those situations where it’s all in the hands of God and Mother Nature.”