A landslide has closed Coast Highway in both directions in Dana Point, from Beach Road to Camino Capistrano, following a landslide caused by the latest storm.
The debris stretched across the roadway.
“We will update you when the roadways are clear,” the city said on social media. “Please plan on using alternate routes in the meantime.”
It’s the second landslide in recent months this wet winter in the same stretch.
The landslide occurred in the same spot as a January incident and was similar in size, but the latest one stretched across two lanes, said Nichole Squirrell, senior administrator for the city’s Public Works Department.
It happened in the early morning hours and most had been cleaned up by 9:30 a.m., though the road was expected to be closed at least until the afternoon because crews were still working to clear blocked storm drains, she said.
Public Works Director Matt Sinacori said it was a small-scale slide, most of it vegetation, about 50 to 100 yards of mostly vegetation that crossed the road.
“It just takes some energy to clear to make it safe for everyone,” he said.
The area is prone to landslides.
In 1993, five ocean-view homes in Dana Point were lost when 44,000 tons of hillside collapsed from an eroded bluff following heavy rains. Landslides happened again in 2011 and 2015 along this same stretch, though those were much smaller and also were cleaned up in a few days.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, many areas of coastal California are subject to cliff erosion and coastal landslides, especially during winter seasons as a result of heightened precipitation.
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