Caltrans installs more K-rails at Big Rock as coast erodes Play

Caltrans crews installed more concrete K-rails between PCH and the ocean Wednesday at Big Rock, at the eastern end of Malibu.

Next, crews will work on the cliff between the K-rail and the churning ocean, trying to stabilize the vertical wall where houses used to protect the ocean from churning waves.

The emergency work started one day after the City of Malibu urged the state to take action to prevent landslides under the highway. Caltrans says its emergency repairs are concentrated at the 20000 block of PCH, just west of the signal at Big Rock Drive.

On Tuesday, city manager Joe Irwin publicly and strongly requested that the state step up to prevent wave action from destroying the critical section of Highway 1 that connects Malibu to Los Angeles.

Two months ago, a Caltrans engineer named Joon Kang told the city council that the highway was safe at Big Rock. Tuesday, the city manager told KBUU the situation has changed since then. Recent hurricane waves have washed up behind the seawalls that survived the fire.

“I would say it a more accelerated rate from when Mr. Kang came to speak,” Irwin said. “I think the coast is changing much quicker than he probably originally thought.”

Asked what the city will do in places where the high tide line — the state property line — has now crossed past the highway’s right of way line, leaving no more private property, Irwin said:

“Right now the main priority is for me, and these partners, is to shore up PCH. We are working with private property owners to let them know that certain parcels have been red tagged, which is really a means of declaring that site potentially dangerous right now.”

“And Caltrans needs to get their permission to get on their property to do the work. Assuming the efforts take place at Caltrans in shoring up PCH will allow people to come in and pull their building permits and start the rebuilding process along with future structures, such as sewers or septic system solutions that may be available.”

“But once a property owner gets all those puzzle pieces together they are going to have to work with their private engineer to get a permit and do what work is necessary to make sure the land is still buildable in a safe way.”

Sixteen properties have been red-tagged on the ocean at Big Rock.

A Caltrans spokesman tells KBUU the agency will be working to reconstruct the slope along PCH at Big Rock this week. Just down the coast, Caltrans is currently repairing the state-owned seawall near Las Tunas Beach.

The Caltrans agent says the agency continues to collaborate with the city of Malibu, as well as L.A. County agencies and utility companies, to identify other locations vulnerable to coastal erosion.