Caltrans Grading Project Suspended

A day after being ordered to stop work, Caltrans officials on Tuesday were trying to obtain the permits needed to continue a grading job on Highway 101, just north of Ventura.

The California Coastal Commission had requested that work be suspended until Caltrans receives the correct permits from the county.

At the end of June, Caltrans officials received zoning clearance from the county to remove 28,000 cubic feet of dirt from a drain inlet in the Rincon area, said Jeff Walker, director of the county Planning Department’s land-use permit division. The drain inlet had been clogged by a landslide in 1998 winter storms.

But the project turned out to be much larger than expected, with at least 98,000 cubic yards expected to be removed, Walker said.

The zoning clearance did not allow for a job of that magnitude, Walker said.

“When Caltrans came to us, the geologist hadn’t looked at the plans yet,” Walker said. “The landslide was larger than Caltrans estimated, and they had to do more grading work.”

Although the project’s contractor is Tom Staben, who has been accused of lacking proper permits for county jobs in the past, Walker said a contractor is not responsible for obtaining permits for a Caltrans job.

Caltrans spokeswoman Margie Tiritilli echoed that remark.

“It was something we didn’t realize we needed,” Tiritilli said. “We’re taking full responsibility for this. Apparently what we had didn’t cover that much grading. We’re trying to rectify the problem and get the project back on track.”

Tiritilli said she hoped to get the matter resolved soon.

“We’re 50% finished with the job,” she said. “We’d like to finish the work before the winter storms.”