PCH lanes and Surfliner tracks close as El Niño storms hit Orange County coast

Two lanes of the Pacific Coast Highway between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are closed to traffic as crews address a crack in the supporting bluff. Caltrans reduced the road to one lane in each direction on Monday, with no set date for full reopening.

The closure affects the stretch between Reef Point Drive and Irvine Cove Drive. Southbound traffic is shifted into the northbound lanes to maintain flow. This action is part of a phased repair plan that began after a split appeared in the cliff on Oct. 13. Phase one involved covering the crack with a plastic tarp to shield it from rain expected last week.

Work crews will now place small rocks called fill buttress to prevent landslides and add larger stones. According to a Laguna Beach Instagram post, this installation can only be done during low tide. More rain is forecast for the weekend, including Halloween, which may complicate the timeline.

The Pacific Surfliner is also impacted by the weather. Tracks between Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo and Oceanside in San Diego will be closed from Monday through Friday. High surf has been overtopping the rail line, forcing the suspension of service. Unlike a similar closure following Memorial Day weekend storms, which lasted just over a week and included bus replacements, no bus service is planned for this week's gap.

At a Monday meeting, the OC Transportation Authority board voted to continue an emergency declaration first issued in late September. This status allows the agency to work on bringing sand to bolster the coast. Current projections indicate the sand will not reach the beaches until June, after the anticipated end of this year's El Niño season.

The agency also announced developed plans for a shoreline protection structure on Monday. The design uses pipes to stabilize 1,400 feet alongside the Surfliner tracks, replacing the riprap or large boulders currently used for stabilization. Jim Beil, the OCTA Executive Director of Capital Programs, stated at the meeting, “It’s our worst condition out there, we’re proposing this structure to protect the tracks.”

The National Weather Service predicts a high chance of a historical weather event occurring between now and the end of the year. Several coastal cities have already issued emergency declarations after tropical storms brought high tides and surface flooding to the region.