Slope inspection underway, cleanup to start at San Clemente landslide site

Two segments of the Mariposa Bridge damaged from a landslide in San Clemente have been removed and crews on Friday were inspecting the slide area to determine the best approach for grading and removing debris from the train tracks below.

Metrolink spokesman Scott Johnson said that removing the bridge allowed for structural engineers and geological technicians to gain access to the hillside and that Metrolink, the Orange County Transportation Authority, the city of San Clemente and the private property owners above the landslide are working together to “methodically determine a course of action to remove soils and perform grading to the hillside” so train service through to the San Diego area can resume.

Also, the tracks are being inspected to determine whether any damage occurred, Johnson said. Cleanup was expected to start Friday afternoon and continue through the weekend, he said.

This weekend, Metrolink will operate to and from San Juan Capistrano, but on Monday the route will only run to the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station.

“There is still no set timeline as to when rail service will resume through the San Clemente area,” Johnson said.

Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train service will continue to operate as far south as San Juan Capistrano with Amtrak-owned buses providing connections between Irvine and San Diego. Freight trains can’t pass through the area and BNSF Railway is performing its own risk analysis, officials said.

The slope failure that occurred Wednesday, Jan. 24, marks the fifth service interruption in three years along this stretch due to landslides, according to the Orange County Transportation Authority, which owns the tracks through Orange County.

“We understand there is room at the top of the hill on that private property to grade the slope to make it less steep, so it’s less likely to slip,” said San Clemente Councilman Chris Duncan, adding the property owner has been cooperative. “A lot of people think we can do whatever we want. But we can’t go onto private property.”

The future of the Mariposa Bridge, a popular connector along the city’s 2.3-mile coastal trail, remains unknown. The bridge is within OCTA-owned rail right-of-way, which is leased to the city for the coastal trail.

One solution being floated is a retaining wall with the pedestrian walkway above it, Duncan said. “That would serve two purposes at the same time.”

The bridge is important, not just as a link for pedestrians and bikers who use the pathway, but also for public safety. At higher tides, the ocean laps against rocks with no sand to pass the area, essentially cutting North Beach off from coastal routes.

“This beach trail was always meant to be a trail that spanned the entire trail of the city’s beaches,” Duncan said. “It’s still our intention to retain that access through the entire stretch of our beaches, from North Beach to State Beach.”