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Dirt road leading to beloved San Onofre State Beach washes away after heavy rains in Southern California
Access to vehicles to the road break will be indefinitely closed, but plans are underway to set up a paved concrete lot on top of the cliff
The dirt road leading to the longboard mecca San Onofre State Beach washed away after heavy rains lashed Southern California the past week.Access to vehicles to the road break will be indefinitely closed. Plans are underway to set up a pavedconcrete lot on top of the cliff. This could allow at least some cars to move.
Reports said that the beach had started eroding years back. Several other Southern California cities near San Onofre are also planning to come up with ways to retain sand and their local beaches.
According to the OC Register, the recent damage may “have come from a fairy shrimp vernal pool habitat that sits above on the cliff. A drainage system, for decades, has funneled water coming down to a concrete outlet near the ocean, where water would simply flow back to the sea. But recently, the drain broke and runoff water was instead flowing down at the toe of the slope, eating away at the roadway. With the latest storm sending high-velocity streams of water from the hillside, the dirt road washed away.”
“It’s devastating,” State Parks Superintendent Scott Kibbey said. “We’re trying to wrap our heads around a solution to find a way to fix this as soon as possible. It’s impassible. You can not drive a vehicle around that right now.”
TheSan Onofre Beach is loved by residents and tourists alike. “Surfers won’t want to miss world-renowned Trestles, in protected San Onofre State Beach, just southeast of San Clemente. This beach is famous for its natural surf break that consistently churns out perfect waves, even in summer. There are also rugged bluff-top walking trails, swimming beaches and a developed inland campground,” the Lonely Planet website says.
“Trestles is also a great success story for environmentalists and surfers, who for over a decade fought the extension of a nearby toll road,” it adds. “To reach the beach, exit I-5 at Basilone Rd, then hoof to Trestles along the nature trail.”
