This is where a SoCal railway is about to fall into the sea. What is being done to save it
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Set us as preferred A major sand replenishment is headed to the San Clemente beach along the long-imperiled railway line, part of a large shoreline work package aimed at fortifying the vulnerable railroad while also protecting the area’s shrinking beaches.The California Coastal Commission on Thursday approved an extensive permit that railway officials hope will help maintain the critical rail line, which has faced an onslaught of rising seas, harsh waves and strong storms over the last several years that have led to repeated closures — an issue only intensified this year by the historic El Niño.A key element of the permit is the placement of almost 700,000 cubic yards of sand on sections of the area’s shrinking — or completely gone — beaches, an investment Orange County officials say will be the single largest sand replenishment along this stretch of coast in more than 60 years.“This is the first step to resolving a half century of inaction by our community,” Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, who sits on the Orange County Transportation Authority’s board of directors, said at Thursday’s Coastal Commission hearing.
She admitted that the county has, for too long, focused on efforts around the railway that “harden” the beach — such as seawalls and large rock piles — which can actually exacerbate erosion and sand loss in the long term.“Sand on the beaches is the solution,” Foley said, urging the commission to approve the permit to ensure the sand replenishment project could move forward.“Wide sandy beaches serve as a necessary buffer to protect the rail line.”With $300 million in state and federal funding already secured to help protect the 4 miles of coast where the railroad has been most threatened, Foley said the major sand replenishment — which will use about a third of those funds...