Condon-Johnson and Associates building 160-foot landslide wall in San Clemente

California Construction News staff writer

Contractor Condon-Johnson and Associates has started the construction of a catchment wall that will ultimately protect the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA)-owned rail right of way from sliding soil and debris from the privately-owned San Clemente hillside, OCTA and Metrolink announced.

Large rigs began drilling last week to prepare for placing steel beams that will serve as the foundation for the catchment wall. This effort will be similar to the wall constructed last year below the nearby Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens.

The wall currently under construction at Mariposa Point is expected to stand 10 to 15 feet above ground, approximately 200 feet in length, and be supported by steel beams that will be placed 30 feet below ground.

BNSF freight traffic has been halted through the area because of continued hillside soil movement and the wall is expected to be completed in mid-March. Track repairs will also be needed before passenger rail service can resume in late March or early April. The schedule is subject to change.

The project area includes several challenging elements that may affect the construction schedule, including a large sewer trunk line, a major reclaimed water line and a fiber communications trunk line that service San Clemente and the region.

For the latest updates and background, visit octa.net/railupdates.

OCTA, which owns the track, worked with Metrolink and contractors to quickly mobilize emergency crews, who used heavy machinery on the rails to remove debris and haul away two large spans of the bridge, each weighing 24,000 pounds.