Catchment Wall Construction Begins in San Clemente

Courtesy of OCTA

SAN CLEMENTE – Two large rigs began drilling so steel beams can be placed 30 feet underground to support the catchment wall in San Clemente.

OCTA and Metrolink teams and contractor Condon-Johnson and Associates have started construction of a catchment wall along at Mariposa Point. The wall will protect the rail owned by OCTA from continuous sliding soil and debris. The current timeline for a completed wall is mid-March, and regular passenger rail service “may begin as early as late March or early April,” but this schedule may change. Several factors play into the scheduled timeline, including “a large sewer trunk line, a major reclaimed water line and a fiber communications trunk line that services San Clemente and the region.”

According to the release, two large rigs have started drilling on February 27^th where steel beams will be placed 30 feet below ground. These will serve as a foundation for the catchment wall. This wall will be similar “to the wall constructed last year below the nearby Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens.” The wall will be somewhere between 10 and 15 feet above ground and measure around 200 feet long. 

As reported previously, BNSF freight traffic is still halted as there is continued hillside movement which is monitored hourly. OCTA states it is working toward allowing freight trains to operate safely in the area as soon as possible. 

GET CAUGHT UP ON THE SAN CLEMENTE LANDSLIDE:

• San Clemente Landslide Leads to Passenger Rail Suspension
• OCTA Working with Metrolink After San Clemente Landslide
• UPDATED: San Clemente Landslide; Upcoming Storm System, Continued Hillside Movement
• OCTA Update: Still Pursuing Barrier Wall After Heavy Rain
• UPDATE: OCTA and Metrolink Continue Work; Metrolink Issues RFP
• Continued Slope Movement Halts Freight Traffic in San Clemente