DEL MAR — As the Del Mar Bluff Phase 5 project continues chugging along, residents are frustrated by SANDAG’s announcement last week that it will fence off bluff access at 11th Street to ensure safety in the construction area.
At the same time, agency officials also gave a sobering reality check about their ability to complete a pedestrian rail crossing and beach access path that the California Coastal Commission requires as part of the project.
These discussions came during SANDAG’s March 17 update to the Del Mar City Council on the Del Mar Bluffs Phase 5 project, which began in March 2024 and is about 85% complete. The project is intended to stabilize the rail tracks running along the bluff top until SANDAG can relocate them further inland.
Work includes the installation of 2,000 feet of seawalls along the bluff toe from Coast Avenue to Torrey Pines State Park, in addition to new concrete drainage ditches, soldier piles, and tieback anchors.
During construction, pedestrians have still been able to access the beach from the end of 11th Street by crossing the new concrete drainage channel, then the railroad tracks, to a “goat trail” that travels down the face of the bluff to the beach.
However, SANDAG announced this past week that it will temporarily fence off access from 11th Street for at least the next year. Program Project Manager Clint Peace said this is to prevent liability for the contractor, as fall protection still needs to be installed along the highest point of the drainage channel at 11th.
“We do reiterate that this is an active construction site, and it’s for the public’s safety,” said Peace, emphasizing that the goal is not to prevent people from crossing the tracks entirely.
This sparked backlash from some community members who regularly access the beach and blufftop via 11th Street. Some said they were worried about the fence staying up indefinitely and leading to longer-term blockage of public access.
“The situation at 11th Street sets a very unfavorable precedent that may exclude public access altogether,” said resident Isla Cordelae.
Those who surf at the beach below 11th Street also shared their opposition.
“We completely deny any fence and any blockage to our way to get down to our sacred ground that sits below the track,” said Miles Anderson of the 11th Street Surf Club.
Residents also noted that there have been no pedestrian safety issues near 11th Street during construction and that crews have been working well with the community to ensure their safety.
Eric Peterson, who said he surfs every day at 11th Street, said it doesn’t make sense to block access just in this area but still allow access at other areas, such as 13th Street.
“They are very, very good at maintaining safety, letting people know when a train is coming, letting them know where they can access, and guiding people,” said Peterson. “I think it’s a little bit absurd to block access claiming that we’re protecting the safety of the construction site, when they’re gonna allow access two streets up.”
Public access improvements
Residents are also concerned that SANDAG will not follow through on its obligations to complete public access improvements along the bluff. The California Coastal Commission required SANDAG to implement these improvements as a condition of project approval in 2022 to mitigate impacts on public access and beach loss caused by the seawalls.
SANDAG is required to create a new pedestrian railroad crossing at either 7th or 11th Street, an accessway from the bluffs to the beach, and an enhanced blufftop trail between 4th Street and Seagrove Park.
At the City Council meeting, SANDAG staff said they are still pursuing the improvements, but there are several challenges to navigate that were not properly explored when the project was approved.
SANDAG CEO Mario Orso said that because of the urgent need to stabilize the bluff, the agency appeared to rush into the project and mitigation. Unanticipated complications have now come up that they need to contend with.
These include higher-than-anticipated costs, limits on additional bluff grading, and the need for collaboration between several agencies for the mitigation project.
“We’re trying to balance all the requirements that are being put in. We know what the conditions are — that’s very clear,” said SANDAG CEO Mario Orso. “Now our job is figuring out if we can get there, and if not, finding a middle ground.”
Officials said the improvements will be extremely expensive, with the total cost of all three elements estimated to exceed $50 million.
SANDAG and the city have reviewed design options for rail crossings at both 11th and 7th streets, including at-grade, undercrossing, and overcrossing options, as well as ramps and stairs leading down to the beach.
On Monday, SANDAG said that an undercrossing and the pathway down to the beach will require significant grading into the bluff, which other agencies may not approve.
The trail will be the easiest element to construct, Peace said. However, the stretch of bluff from 11th Street to Seagrove Park is very steep and narrow, and additional grading into the bluffs to create the trail could cause some issues, he said.
SANDAG is required to begin implementing the improvements by next year. However, Peace said they are consulting with the Coastal Commission about starting work on certain improvements, such as the trail, sooner, while they continue to discuss the other rail crossing and beach access projects.
Orso said the agency will need to reach consensus on the improvements with not only the city, but also the North County Transit District (which owns the rail line), the California Coastal Commission, and the California Public Utilities Commission.
“[T]he other resource agencies are gonna have to work with us, and I do not know what the outcome is going to be, I have to be quite honest with you,” said Orso.
Residents reminded SANDAG leaders that a deal is a deal. Some said the agency seemed to be trying to back out of its responsibilities, which Orso denied.
“No disrespect, but it truly does sound like you’re setting the stage for getting out of your commitments,” said resident Greg Rothnam.
This isn’t the first time residents have questioned SANDAG’s commitment to the mitigation measures. Back in 2024, residents and city officials raised eyebrows when SANDAG redirected $14.7 million set aside for mitigation to another, more shovel-ready project.
City Council members also shared concerns about SANDAG completing its requirements. However, they thanked Orso for his transparency, communication, and commitment to working with the city.
“You’ve done a great job leading this agency on what I believe was much-needed changes,” said Mayor Tracy Martinez. “I do feel confident that you’ll do your best for Del Mar.”
Councilmember Terry Gaasterland added that she was concerned about the appearance of the new drainage channel, which replaced the previous one carved directly into the bluff. She said she thought the concrete would be given a more natural color to match the bluff around it.
“This is a fragile coastal bluff and it’s beautiful, and an asphalt-like surface that’s grey is going to mar the beauty of the bluff,” Gaasterland said.
Peace said coloring the concrete channel could require additional maintenance in the long run.
Most of the remaining work on the Phase 5 bluff stabilization includes drainage improvements and rockscaping of exposed grade beams.
“Water infiltration is one of the primary causes of bluff instability, and that is why drainage improvements are a major part of Del Mar Bluffs 5,” Peace said.
Crews also recently discovered additional erosion under an existing drainage chute at Sea Cliff Way. The bluff trail will be temporarily closed between 4th Street and Sea Cliff Way to allow crews to locate the source of the erosion, repair it, and backfill the area.
Rail realignment, double-tracking projects
SANDAG also updated the City Council on other major rail infrastructure projects in Del Mar, including the planned rail realignment project and the San Dieguito Double Track and Special Events Platform project.
The $347 million double-tracking and special events platform project will replace the 109-year-old San Dieguito Railway River Bridge, which carries trains over the San Dieguito Lagoon, with a new concrete bridge above the floodplain.
It will also add 2.1 miles of double tracking between Solana Beach and Del Mar, and a special events platform at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
SANDAG plans to advertise the projects for bids in the coming months, with construction planned to begin in early 2027.
Environmental and geotechnical studies are continuing for the LOSSAN Rail Corridor project, which will relocate 1.7 miles of the LOSSAN (Los Angeles-San Luis Obispo-San Diego) rail corridor off of the Del Mar bluffs and further inland.
Last year, the SANDAG Board of Directors approved five options for further environmental study, three of which propose tunneling underground. These include one route running under Crest Canyon in Del Mar, one under Camino Del Mar, one starting at the San Dieguito Bridge and running east to the Interstate 5, an option to keep the tracks on the bluffs and add double-tracking, and a no-build option.
SANDAG officials announced that the California High Speed Rail Authority has agreed to be the federal lead agency for the project, a major step that will allow the project to begin the federal environmental review phase under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.
A notice of intent for the NEPA process will be issued by early 2027, kicking off a two-year window to complete the draft environmental impact report.
