The challenges with a new route are not the housing density along the beach in San Clemente and Dana Point. The rail line uses the I-5 ROW across Camp Pendleton north to SONGS where it diverts to the coastline at Trestles Beach. The problem area is from Trestles north to T Street Beach in San Clemente. From T Street north the line is along the beach (actually Route 1, Pacific Coast Highway) to San Juan Creek where it turns inland. To bypass the San Clemente bluff area area requires a new ROW across Camp Pendleton to get inland. The military has said "NFW!" There have been routes looked at that require several miles of tunneling plus bridges. It could follow the now cancelled 241 Toll Road routing part of the way. That still requires a new ROW across the north end of Camp Pendleton. When the bluff finally collapses this will be a national emergency since it is the only rail line to San Diego. A solution may be to build two miles of elevated rail above the ocean to connect the two ends of the track. The water gets deep a short distance from shore, this is possible but very expensive.
|
|
