Step 1 for Beach Trail Design Will Be Passing Wave Tank Test

Before approving final designs for the city’s coastal trail, a model will be built in a wave tank to simulate how a proposed sea wall and rock design will fend off waves.

The city recently approved a contract with Keck Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena to build the $29,000 model to determine whether the city’s phase one trail design is reliable, estimate maintenance costs and measure the effects of the project on the beach.

The model will simulate the first phase of the 2.6-mile beach trail that will stretch from North Beach to T Street.

The boardwalk, which will eventually connect trails from Doheny State Beach in Dana Point to San Onofre State Beach, was recently awarded a $4.5-million federal grant.