The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has completed its first beach nourishment project at North Beach in San Clemente, marking a key step in ongoing efforts to protect the coastal rail line from erosion and unstable bluffs.
Over the past 10 days, crews placed sand along more than a quarter-mile of shoreline to help buffer the tracks from wave action and improve resilience against erosion. Work at North Beach began September 5 and wrapped up Monday morning, with temporary construction fencing removed and permanent fencing restored between the rail line and the improved sand.
Based on final pre-construction survey data, OCTA placed approximately 2,500 cubic yards of sand, down from the original estimate of 3,200 cubic yards. The adjustment reflects strict permit requirements limiting nourishment to areas above the mean high tide line, as well as changing beach and environmental conditions. The imported sand, hauled from Palm Springs and approved through environmental review, has been placed to a natural berm elevation and is already serving its intended purpose.
“Completing this first placement of sand is an important milestone we should celebrate as we continue to work on protecting priority areas,” said OCTA Chairman Doug Chaffee, who also serves as the county’s Fourth District Supervisor. “We are committed to protecting this vital rail link for passengers and freight through strategic placements of sand and other protective measures.”
In addition to nourishment, OCTA has begun work on a 1,400-foot catchment wall south of the project site to protect the rail line from potential bluff sliding. The project also includes restoring the pedestrian beach trail. Both the wall and trail are expected to be completed by next summer.
This emergency nourishment is the first phase of OCTA’s broader plan to place approximately 540,000 cubic yards of sand along San Clemente’s beaches. OCTA remains committed to implementing sand nourishment and other protective measures to stabilize the coastal rail line and safeguard passenger and freight service along the LOSSAN corridor.
