Commissions push for pedestrian overpass at Malibu Seafood Play

Malibu planners have presented three options to build pedestrian crossings on PCH at Malibu Seafood, but members of two citizen commissions wanted other options considered.

City staff Wednesday unveiled rough plans for three different options to get people across the road with less risk than getting hit by 50-mile-an-hour traffic: a traffic light; clearing out the Latigo Creek under crossing and constructing pedestrian ramps to reach it; and constructing a pedestrian tunnel.

That third option — a separate pedestrian tunnel — was chosen by a city council four years ago. But the current city council rolled its eyes at that at a meeting earlier this year. Doug Stewart said a tunnel would be a flood hazard during rain, and the beachfront entrance would be hit by waves at high tides.

Wednesday, city engineers presented their preliminary concept plans for the tunnel and the two alternatives. Because of the location of the driveways at Malibu Seafood, the entrance to the pedestrian tunnel would have to be up at the northern end of the parking lot north of the highway. That would mean people parking along PCH would have to walk along the highway, in traffic, through the Malibu Seafood parking lot, in order to find the tunnel ramp north of the highway.

Members of the public safety and public works commissions Wednesday said they want a fourth option: a pedestrian overpass. And they said the city needs to look at the entire stretch up Pacific Coast Highway along the beach there, where people cross the highway to reach parked cars up and down the highway.