by Katheryn Rhodes
The City of San Diego’s Engineering and Capitol Project Department held a Community Informational Meeting on Tuesday the 12th of May at the Point Loma Hervey Branch Library (as an earlier article indicated) to introduce the public to the Sunset Cliffs Seawall Improvement Project.
Located on the western side of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, between Adair Street and Osprey Street, the project consists of constructing a new seawall between the two existing concrete seawalls near Spalding Point. In addition to the new seawall, the project also includes street resurfacing, curb ramp upgrades, and guardrail replacement to support safe and reliable access in the area.
Approximately 50 community members and several City staff and consultants attended. The meeting lasted 1.5 hours with a long question and answer period.
Kimberly Wender of Dokken Engineering presented the City’s project, and she and City of San Diego Program Manager Elizabeth Schroth-Nichols answered questions. The Geotechnical Engineer Matthew Martinez of GeoEngineers, and staff from Moffatt and Nichol were available for discussions before and after the meeting.
The Sunset Cliffs Seawall Improvement Project was initiated in 2018 and became a capitol project in 2022. The City’s Coastal Resilience Master Plan went into effect in 2023.
Due to ongoing erosion and a January 2026 localized failure and collapse of the bluffs that took out some railing, the design phase for this project and public outreach is being initiated. Currently, there is no money for construction of this project. (Rag emphasis)
This is a combined wall solution consisting of a Tieback Wall and a Secant Pile Wall with drilled depths to 60 feet
The “No Build Alternative” was analyzed, and with the existing rate of erosion, if nothing is done then Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and the linear park would be at high risk of closure in the near term. Currently caves undercut the coastal bluffs within 12 feet from the road.
The City has been working with the California Coastal Commission (CCC) who are against the use of riprap at the base of the seawall, and requested a study on the more natural looking beach sand nourishment.
In the future, the City will also present the Sunset Cliffs Seawall Improvement Project to the Peninsula Community Planning Board (PCPB).
The following process and permits are required including:
- Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for CEQA, instead of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
- Process 2 Site Development Permit (SDP).
- Coastal Development Permit (CDP) front the California Coastal Commission (CCC).
- And Permits from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), and the California State Lands Commission (SLC).
Updates for this project can be found at this website, which will be updated regularly, including with the presentation.
Thanks very much for the summary of important information and the the tie-back illustration.
This technology, as you well know Katheryn, has been around for a long time. Many moons ago, I worked on a project in La Jolla for a wall to support Coast Blvd. back when I was an equipment operator. The project was nearly a disaster as some of the drilling holes began leaking gasoline. The holes had gone in diagonally under Coast and hit a pool of gas from an old gas tank across the street. But, under some conditions, tie-backs are the best option.
That said, I am personally opposed to any seawalls.
Yes, thanks Katheryn for this article which answers a lot of questions raised from the previous article on this subject.
The late Dr. Douglas Inman of Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO) was an expert in coastal engineering and sand migration.
Dr. Inman talked about how the natural process for rivers were stopped by man-made development, therefore the beaches did not have natural sand replenishment. Therefore, in order to slow down coastal erosion, and to reach a state of quasi-equilibrium you had to feed the beach with sand replenishment projects.
Now instead of managed retreat which I have always thought was the solution, I am leaning into studying the effects of man-made sand dunes and sand replenishment like on Silver Strand and Coronado.
And now I am not automatically opposed to seawalls in limited areas. Like I was before. Many days I am lucky to walk our dog around Children’s Pool, La Jolla Cove, and Coast walk. This area has so much erosion. I am concerned for Coast Boulevard, Scripps Parks, and the houses on the. cliffs.
All this extra sand needed to naturally slow down erosion through sand replenishment can come from mining our natural resources through our La Playa Plan for a full tidelands reclamation.
We can build a 30-40 foot bathtub foundation at Midway Rising to get rid of the seismic hazard of liquefaction and provide underground space for parking and transit.
Then the sand from the bathtub foundation hole can be used on the cliffs to slow down natural erosion. This idea needs further study to not interfere with the surf or aquatic animals and plants.
La Playa Plan (LPP) for a full Tidelands Reclamation
http://tinyurl.com/20220419a
Create Subterranean space
Transportation
Urban Stormwater Capture
Deletes liquefaction
Mineral Resources
Billions in Mining Sand for construction.
Sand beach replenishment
Future proofs against Sea Level Rise (SLR)
Cut and Cover Trenches, not expensive tunnels.
Underground transit corridor trench from Midway Rising to the Airport.