Caltrans Has Long Menu, But Few Details, On PCH Master Plan

Anyone hoping for precise details from Caltrans about the master plan for Pacific Coast Highway last night would be disappointed.

It was supposed to be an unveiling of the plan … which would guide the state’s conversion of Malibu’s main street into a slower-moving … safer non-highway. 

What we got was the same shopping list of possible alternatives that were extensively discussed over the last 15 months.  And the information was very general … no concrete proposals.

An awful lot of “we are considering” and “we are looking at.”

It appears that the state is planning to remove large sections of the center turn lane in eastern Malibu.

The state engineer in charge … Ryan Snyder … said it is a balancing act … the law requires sidewalks and bike lanes … and either an ocean-side parking lane, the center turn lane, or the land side parking lane has to go.

Snyder says a new law … SB 960 … requires bike lanes and sidewalks.

And in some areas… That means parking will have to be eliminated.

SNYDER BIKES 

“SB 960 is telling us we need to put bike lines down. If we don’t remove parking down one side, we don’t have space for bike lanes.

“And we’ve only done this in areas where we believe that the parking that we have left is adequate to serve the demand that is out there.

“So it’s a trade-off … and the safety issues that we resolve are worth is worth the trade off. 

That sparked protest last night … at the big reveal … from Malibu people. .

One resident who lives along the beach criticized the state’s hint … that they will remove the center turn lane and make it illegal for her to turn into her driveway,

TURNLEFT

“You only gave us one option.

“And the one thing what we were asking was that median for emergency traffic. . The city wants that for the needs of the other communities. 

“I don’t know why we don’t count for that. 

“I think there are other communities that are being heard, but not us.”

Caltrans owns the road … and Caltrans does not manage the road for the convenience of Malibu.

It has a statewide constituency … and a law that requires bike lanes and a sidewalk.

Michel Shane … a slow traffic advocate … said that is ridiculous.

SHANELANE

“Where is the bike lane on the 101 or the 405???

“There is none, because you are being safe. But yet we are all talking about a bike lane on the PCH … which by all definitions is a highway.”

And last night … city council member Marianne Riggins also criticized the state’s priorities. . 

RIGGINS CALTRANS

“This is still our city … and we still need to have it for our community. “I’m not going to other communities and asking them to change their roadways to accommodate my needs.  

“Without reducing the speed it is not going to solve the problem of safety.  

“That has to be the first foremost thing that is done.”

The bottom line … speed.

The state plan does not discuss lowering the speed limit.

Ridiculous … said member of the audioence.

It’s the law … said the Caltrans engineer … Ryan Snyder.

CALTRANS SPEED LIMITS 71179

“We have to set the speed limit within 5 miles of the 85th percentile of the prevailing speed. 

“If when we put scope of these device in, I think they will slow things down … some. 

“If after we put these devices in, we go ahead and do another speed survey, and we see that the speed have come down, then the speed limits will will come down.” 

But the state last night did not specify just what exactly its intentions are.

A 60 day public comment period opened yesterday.

Then … Caltrnas officials in Los Angeles will make decisions.

There is no funding set aside yet for the projects … would could have a price tag of anywhere from 63 to 268 million dollars.

One opinion from the public was fairly unanimous:.

PC BLVD 

“Please rebuild and rebrand PCH as a boulevard.”

State Has 2 Repaving Projects Soon, And Then Comes The Master Plan

The state was discussing three different projects last night. One project will repave PCH from Malibu Creek West to Ventura county.

That stretch will get painted bike lanes in both directions.

One stretch will repave PCH from Malibu Creek east to the city limits at Topanga.

That stretch will get a painted bike only in the westbound direction… For now.

The overall safety plan… The master architecture for Pacific Coast Highway… That’s the third project.  Building it will cost between 63 million and 268 million dollars and take years.

On Wednesday night, the state only released a vague shopping list and no specific plans.

They are looking at traffic circles on PCH Westwood Beach Road… And a multi lane traffic circle on PCH at Webb Way.  That was slow down traffic in some parts of Malibu… but not enough to satisfy some Malibu voices.

Two city council members … Marianne Riggins and Haylynn Conrad … said the state was concentrating on projects, and not reducing the speeds, now.

Caltrans Engineers Have Yet To Examine Footings For PCH Next To Burned Lots

One important item about the fire came up from Caltrans Wednesday night … the first time that the agency has publicly addressed the structural safety of the highway: the structural supports beneath Pacific Coast Highway in eastern Malibu.

As KBUU has been reporting … there is significant visible damage to the embankment that holds up the roadbed above the ocean.

There used to be a row of houses in eastern Malibu … houses that used wooden piers and wooden retaining walls to prevent water runoff and coastal waves from eroding under the highway.

For several miles of PCH … that wood is gone. 

So the question was posed to Caltrans by one beachfront homeowner … trying to rebuild.

Can we assume that chunks of the road will not fall into the ocean … by virtue of the fact that Caltrans is about to repave the highway up top?

The answer … no … do not assume that.

A Caltrans engineer last night said stat engineers have not yet begun to assess the structural integrity of the road bed. 

Taht will happen only when the Army Corps of Engineers and private contractors have removed the hazardous fire debris along the waterfront.

Only then will engineers make an assessment about the strength of the road shoulder … where there are several places where steep dirt embankments sit perilously close to churning water.

One bit of good news there.

The Army Corps of Engineers is making quick progress removing the destruction from the oceanfront wreckage of more than 70 houses. 

The Army has told homeowners they may have all the oceanfront wreckage removed by early May. 

After that … Caltrans can start poking around to check the PCH foundation. 

There is at least one stretch of oceanfront cliff … just east of Big Rock … where the state had identified a vulnerable cliff several years ago … and had planned to install a vertical concrete wall.

State Says Do Not Assume PCH Won’t Fail Along Ocean, Simply Because They Are Repaving It

At last night’s meeting … Caltrans also released details about the massive repaving projects planned for PCH in the next 3 years …. long before the other changes are made.

The state plans to repave the crumbling roadway in eastern Malibu … wait one summer for the 2028 Olympic Games …. And then repave the crumbling pavement in western Malibu.

What they did not say last night … was addressed by a press release that arrived in the email while the meeting was going on.

Caltrnas last night announced plans to repave the detour around Malibu … at the same time they will rebuild the highway through Malibu. 

That would be the 405 freeway. 

The state last night announced it will do massive work on and under the 405 in the next few years. 

Coastal Commission Will Act On Malibu Rebuild Changes, County Will Address Poisons In Dirt, Today

There are five items on the schedule today … as LA County … LA city and the Coastal Commission all fall over each other to try to help the 700 families burned out of their houses in Malibu.

This morning … the Coastal Commission will vote on changes to its Malibu Local Coastal Plan … the state land use regulations that override local control in Malibu. 

The city council goes into an extraordinary afternoon study session at 3 … to toss around ideas about building sewers in the burn areas of Big Rock Mesa and the eastern Malibu beaches. 

And tonight at 7 … L A County will hold a gripe session for residents … to listen to complaints about the failure of the emergency warning systems in Malibu … Pacific Palisades and Altadena. 

And tonight at 6 … LA County public health will hold a public meeting to release soil test results for lead and asbestos in fire burn areas.

The County Department of Public Health plans an Internet town hall to talk about Soil & Water Testing… and the next steps. 

The county says they will provide testing results for completed assessments, explain what they mean, and answer your questions on how you can protect your health and community during recovery.

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As we just said … the Malibu city council will talk about a money saving sewer for homeowners rebuilding after the fire in eastern Malibu.

Today at 3 … the council will hold a study session … to toss around the concept.

Some homeowners say installing a sewer system in the burn areas will be cheaper … cleaner … and safer.

Residents in Big Rock are worried that water dripping out of individual septic systems can cause more landslides underneath their houses.

Residents on the beach say it would be enormously expensive to build individual sewage treatment plants under their houses … and protect them from pouring surf with expensive seawalls.

In both cases … it would probably cost less per house to suck the sewage out thru a pressurized pipe to a small treatment plant.

Major questions about this.

Federal law does not allow treated water to be discharged into the ocean …. Even if that water is 100% pure H2O.

The Council also wants to discuss with geologists and homeowners the current rules for geotechnical assessments for disaster rebuilds. An the concept of allowing architects and engineers to certify their own work … as meeting city standards …. To speed up fire rebuilds is also being considered.

Satte law requires the city building safety department to sign off on technical matters …. But some of the professionals in Malibu say there are short cuts they can take that will be well within expectations safety.

Those discussions will happen today at 3 in the city council conference room.

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In news from down the coast … The Santa Monica City Council has asked staff to explore a nighttime curfew along the shoreline after a recent spate of violence has rekindled debate about the safety of the sand during overnight hours.

At their Tuesday meeting, Mayor Lana Negrete, along with Councilmembers Jesse Zwick and Natalya Zernitskaya, requested that the City Manager and City Attorney investigate the possibility of establishing nighttime restrictions at Santa Monica State Beach in conjunction with various state agencies that hold sway over the shoreline.

“I think it’s time for us to look at a curfew,” said Mayor Negrete, who emphasized that the move comes in response to a disturbing pattern of incidents over the past two years. “We’ve had everything from murders, rapes, and even accidental deaths.”

A former Malibu High School assistant principal was identified last night as the man who was killed in a motorcycle crash on the 101 Freeway in Ventura on Sunday. 

Phil Wenker had been riding his Indian Scout motorcycle north on the 101 freeway when he encountered slow traffic … caused by a three vehicle crash … ahead of him.

The CHP says Wenker’s bike rear-ended one of the cars. 

He met a gruesome death. 

Wenker has served as the assistant principal at Malibu High for six years … two decades ago … before taking a job in Beverly Hills. 

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Beachgoers can enter the water at nearly all Santa Monica beaches and recreate on the sand but should avoid any debris from the recent Palisades Fire, LA County Health officials said Wednesday.

The announcement comes after Public Health lifted the ocean water quality advisory for fire-impacted beaches from Las Flores State Beach to Santa Monica, where only the area around the Pier remains unsafe.

The decision was based on the results of tests conducted on ocean water and beach sand by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, according to Health officials.

The results of the testing “revealed no chemicals related to wildfires at levels that are dangerous to human health,” officials said.

Beachgoers should still avoid fire debris, since it “may contain harmful substances and physical hazards such as glass, metal, and sharp wooden debris.”

Due to high levels of bacteria, visitors to Santa Monica Beach should continue to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in the water near the Pier, County Health officials warned.