A major plan to secure the coastal railway line in south San Clemente from ongoing ocean erosion will go before the California Coastal Commission on Thursday, Nov. 5, as Orange County Register reported.
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is seeking authorization to retain 48,463 tons of existing riprap along the beachside tracks, place 2,100 tons of new riprap, construct a 1,223-foot-long vertical seawall on the seaward side of the corridor, and install 220 tiebacks to stabilize the bluff. The affected stretch is part of the 351-mile LOSSAN rail corridor connecting San Diego to San Luis Obispo, which supports both passenger and freight transit. Coastal damage in San Clemente has repeatedly halted service between San Diego and Orange County in recent years.
OCTA’s proposal incorporates a massive sand replenishment effort totaling 690,000 cubic yards. The plan allocates roughly 240,000 cubic yards north of the pier and 450,000 cubic yards at the city's southern end, representing the largest sand replenishment project in San Clemente’s history. The sand would be sourced either via offshore dredging or trucked from a stockpile at Prado Dam, with initial placement potentially starting by next February. OCTA Chair Jamey M. Federico wrote in a letter to the commission that the agency has committed approximately $100 million — nearly one-third of the total project budget — toward restoring coastal trail connections and placing beach-compatible sand.
Despite the proposed sand additions, the protective measures have generated significant pushback from environmental advocates and community groups who warn that hard armoring damages public beaches. Commission staff noted that heavy ocean tides already strike rocks and tracks directly in certain areas, leaving portions of the shoreline impassable. In one southern stretch, erosion reduced the beach width from 200 feet to under 80 feet in less than a decade. Further, loss of beach space in south San Clemente threatens public access to San Onofre State Beach and its coastal surf spots. State Parks’ Orange Coast District raised concerns that using shoreline armoring to protect the train corridor will come at a cost to State Beach resources.
OCTA’s application also requests a long-term maintenance allowance to place riprap along San Clemente’s entire coast as needed if sand fails to offer sufficient defense. However, commission staff reported that the transit authority did not provide specific operational boundaries, such as maximum rock volume limits.
Coastal Commission staff is recommending approval of the permit for a 10-year period, conditioned on public access improvements, continuous monitoring of shoreline dynamics and kelp habitats, and a mandatory railroad adaptation study to be completed by November 2030. Staffers noted that this conditional framework attempts to strike a balance between safeguarding infrastructure and preserving public access. In contrast, OCTA has requested a 30-year permit duration, arguing that a shorter approval period puts long-term planning funds at risk.
Local advocacy group Save Our Beaches told Orange County Register in a letter that while the proposal shows some progress, serious concerns remain. The group pointed out that a vertical seawall could create greater turbulence and shoreline scour than sloped rocks, suggesting the wall should be constructed closer to the rail line. Save Our Beaches also advocated for ongoing beach performance mandates, suggesting OCTA be required to maintain an 80-foot sandy beach in front of all armoring throughout the permit duration rather than relying on a single sand delivery.
Similarly, environmental organization Orange County Coastkeeper urged commissioners to deny or modify the application, describing the request as one of the largest potential beach encroachments the commission has ever evaluated under a single conditional permit. Coastkeeper argued that monitoring beach loss without requiring active replenishment action fails to provide real mitigation.
The upcoming hearing follows OCTA’s recent completion of a nearly $93 million project that erected a large retaining wall and a new section of beach path near the Mariposa Bridge, where a slipping slope destroyed a bridge structure two years ago.
