Margi Westling and two walking buddies stopped on the popular beach trail bridge, looking out at dolphins frolicking just in the distance.
“It’s almost like they were hired to be here for the grand opening,” Westling said, watching as the dozen or so dolphins played in the ocean just offshore.
A section of San Clemente’s beloved beach trail is back after being shut down for more than half a year, piecing together the 2.3-mile coastal walkway created in 2007 that runs from North Beach to San Clemente State Beach. The city announced the reopening on Thursday morning following the “significant” landslide that damaged a portion of the Mariposa Point Bridge last November, which required it to be fenced off and closed to the public.
“The city evaluated the damaged portions, cleared some landslide material and made some temporary repairs to allow this section to be re-opened while the design and permitting for a permanent replacement project is completed,” the city announcement says. “Trail users are advised to use caution and watch for rocks and debris which may fall from the adjacent steep bluffs.”
A project to repair the damaged sections of the bridge is planned for this year.
The seven-month closure spanned from the El Portal steps to Mariposa Point, requiring trail walkers, joggers and bikers to navigate stairs and cut through residential neighborhoods or time their visit around low tide when a little sand is available at North Beach. When higher tides roll in, waves slam onto rocks that line railroad tracks along the beach.
“Anytime I wanted to come, I’d have to check the time,” said Debbie Sanders, of San Clemente. “But sometimes it’s not in your schedule to go at low tide.”
The bridge was put on this stretch of pathway along the trail because of expected erosion issues and planners anticipated the bluff would diminish over time, officials have said.
For more than a decade, when dirt crumbled down it would slip under the bridge and go toward the beach.
But November’s landslide resulted in a large chunk off hillside that came down, pressing onto the bridge rather than falling below and toward the shoreline.
Another landslide in San Clemente, north of the latest one, shut down a portion of street and pathway along Pacific Coast Highway between Avenida Pico and Camino Capistrano in 2018.
City planners are in the permitting process with the California Coastal Commission to secure that slide area; it will be discussed at the commission’s July meeting.
Ralph and Cindy Matarazzo, in town from Palm Desert to escape the 111-degree heat and visit their children who live nearby, stopped on the bridge to soak in the view during their vacation.
Along with Fisherman’s Restaurant on the pier, it’s the top stop they do each year during their annual vacation. They didn’t know it had been shut down prior to their arrival.
“We lucked out,” Cindy Matarazzo said. “We would have been so disappointed if we came here yesterday. Look at the dolphins! I’ve never seen so many before. They are beautiful.”
Anja Hines and friend Lori Wilson got in 11,000 steps during their morning jaunt, longer than usual since they now could keep walking all the way to North Beach at the northern end of the trail.
“I think it’s just such a positive thing for San Clemente to have this open and being able to enjoy the whole coast,” Hines said.
Stroller Shani Cochrun called the views along the coastal stroll the prettiest from the bridge.
“When you see Dana Point, right then you come up this bridge you see the whole coastline and the harbor,” she said. “That’s always been my favorite part.”
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June 26, 2020 at 08:13AM
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Popular San Clemente beach trail bridge re-opens after landslide closure - OCRegister
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