City of San Clemente Coastal Trail

More than two million people visit the City of San Clemente's public beaches annually. Increased rail traffic along oceanfront tracks that separate the City of San Clemente from its beaches combined with natural site constraints to create significant public safety issues. This paper describes the unique engineering design and construction aspects of the San Clemente Coastal Trail Project that were undertaken to provide safe access for beach goers and trail users. Design and construction of this trail was truly a unique project. The overriding project goal was to address public safety concerns for trail users and beachgoers while preserving the natural beauty and rustic charm of the San Clemente coastline. The San Clemente / San Juan Capistrano Beach is recognized as the only area in the United States where an active rail corridor along coastal bluffs, rip rap shore protection, and a narrowing shoreline combine to create physical barriers to public beach access. The rail corridor is part of the 126-mile (203 km) Los Angeles- San Diego (LOSSAN) Railroad Corridor, the second busiest inter-city rail line in the country[1]ⁱ. In addition, due to its proximity to the ocean, this area is subject to continual erosion and has a high potential for flooding from maximum high tides and/or storm generated wave action. Design of the trail began in 2000 and reached completion under a two-phase approach. Features incorporated into the 2.3 mile (3,701 m) long trail to provide safe access to the beach include multiple signalized at-grade rail crossings, two underpasses, a pedestrian tunnel, a 1060-foot (323 m) long elevated boardwalk and two bridges. Construction of this $15 million project, undertaken under a two-phase approach, was accomplished over a three year period. The trail was dedicated in October 2008. With the exception of two planned weekend track out-of-service rail stoppages, the project proceeded without interruption to rail service while 50 plus trains a day passed by the site.