Cliff erosion on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard sent city crews into action on Monday. A small section of the street near Guizot Street was shifted east by about five feet.
The city of San Diego identified it as urgent work to protect visitors and infrastructure.
Street crews removed the deteriorating guard rail and shifted the walking path, road markings and both travel lanes. Attached to the new guardrail is wood fencing to limit access.
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Some homeowners are more concerned about the city of San Diego's answer to eroding cliffs than the erosion itself.
Sunset Cliffs visitors are noticing a new traffic pattern in the area.
"They were here this morning. They started early,” homeowner Ernie Higuera said.
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Higuera blames the pitch of the road. He says this year’s heavy rains caused much of the collapse.
"So much water going over the cliffs, you could literally see the ground getting disturbed and moving away,“ Higuera said.
While this bit of construction is emergent, it may just give a glimpse of the city’s coastal resilience plan, which was introduced to Higuera and his neighbors in June. The goal is to mitigate risk from sea-level rise, protect and enhance habitat and support access to the coast.
“They want to reroute traffic up on Devonshire, which is where I live. It will increase all the traffic a ton more,“ Higuera said.
According to the city’s 2005 Master Plan posted online, a 10-foot-wide pedestrian walking path would be created. Traffic on Sunset Cliffs would change from two-way to one-way southbound.
“I know a lot of people that live around here aren’t happy about it," Higuera said.
The iconic view that people come from all over the world to see is showing its age. Preserving it for future generations is going to take some growing pains.
The construction work is scheduled all this week from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. Portions of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard will be closed to traffic during those hours.
