SANDAG Prepares for $78M, 3-Year Del Mar Bluffs Stabilization Project

Amtrak Pacific Surfliner along the coast of southern California

Amtrak

DEL MAR, Calif. –– The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) has announced a major project to stabilize the Del Mar Bluffs.

Railway Track and Structures has been following the saga of geologic changes and track dislocation along the LOSSAN Corridor for a couple of years. The LOSSAN Corridor is a 351-mile stretch of rail along the southern California coast that covers San Diego – Los Angeles – San Luis Obispo. One of the most problematic areas has been the Bluffs in Del Mar, which is a two-mile section of the LOSSAN corridor that has suffered significant erosion and is no longer suitable for the operation of trains.

The Times of San Diego reports that the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) announced this week that it will begin a $78M construction project later this month at the Del Mar Bluffs that will last three years and will stabilize the geology to protect the railroad tracks that have been affected by the erosion and geologic changes. The funding was provided by a mix of local, state, and federal resources.

The Del Mar Bluffs are approximately 10 miles north of San Diego and the rail line running along them are the only link San Diego has to the rest of the United States rail network. And, as RT&S readers know, this area has been a mess over the past couple of years.

SANDAG said that “The economy depends on this connection for both passenger and freight transport, but landslides, rapid erosion and seismic activity have caused collapses along the Del Mar bluffs.

The Times also reports that “Crews will install concrete-and-steel ‘soldier piles’ and cable tie-backs, improve drainage and build seawalls along a 1.6-mile stretch from Coast Boulevard south to Carmel Valley Road,” and says that the construction work should be complete in the spring of 2027.

During the day, along with pre-scheduled weekends and on Sunday and Monday nights construction will focus along sections of the lower and upper bluffs, as well as on the beach. Residents should expect to see lights and hear noise from construction equipment when night work begins in mid-April.