SANDAG Starts Phase 5 of Del Mar Bluffs Project

Courtesy of the City of Del Mar

DEL MAR, Calif. – A seawall will be constructed at 11th street as part of SANDAG’s project to stabilize the bluffs at Del Mar.

The City of Del Mar has announced SANDAG will start phase 5 of the Del Mar Bluffs Stabilization project this month. A seawall will be constructed at 11^th street. This seawall is one of six that are planned for the three-year project between Coast Boulevard and Carmel Valley Road. Two-dozen lengths of I-beam steel are at a fenced staging area at 18^th Street, where construction crews and equipment will gain access. Work will take place at night “because of the high number of trains that use the tracks during the day.”

On Sunday and Monday nights during normal business hours and on pre-scheduled weekends, construction will occur along sections of the upper and lower bluffs. This work is expected to begin mid-April, and Del Mar says rail service will be maintained during construction.

According to the release from the city, the project will include “installing vertical columns of concrete and steel, called soldier piles, along the blufftop.” There will also be drainage improvements and erosion control measures to support the railroad and the bluffs. Construction will go through spring 2027.

Additionally, another program will start in late 2026. The program seeks to improve pedestrian access along the railway. SANDAG is required (by the Coastal Commission) to complete the pedestrian improvements in order to make up for the loss of access from the bluffs and construction.