After another landslide disrupted rail service in San Clemente, residents are now worried that a round of rain coming to Southern California could cause further damage to the hillside.
The latest mudslide happened on Jan. 24 near the Mariposa Bridge pedestrian walkway, which partially collapsed onto the railroad tracks below and blocked any trains from passing through.
Crews are still cleaning up the debris from that landslide, and now they are also tasked with preparing the bluff for a thunderstorm.
Boulders, sand and tarps are being used by crews to help stabilize the affected area, but nearby residents are still fearful that the situation could get worse.
“This last [landslide] pretty much pushed up against the bridge…and then two or three days ago, it just kept moving and pushed the bridge right off its foundation,” San Clemente resident Mike Laubach told KTLA 5’s Mary Beth McDade on Tuesday night. “As far as all the plastic, right now it’s temporary, but temporary could be all winter until the rain stops.”
Aerial view shows the slumping hillside where a pedestrian bridge came loose in San Clemente, sending debris onto the train tracks below on Jan. 24, 2024. (Orange County Transit Authority via Katrina Foley) 
Aerial view shows the slumping hillside where a pedestrian bridge came loose in San Clemente, sending debris onto the train tracks below on Jan. 24, 2024. (Orange County Transit Authority via Katrina Foley) 
Aerial view shows the slumping hillside where a pedestrian bridge came loose in San Clemente, sending debris onto the train tracks below on Jan. 24, 2024. 
Aerial view shows the slumping hillside where a pedestrian bridge came loose in San Clemente, sending debris onto the train tracks below on Jan. 24, 2024. 
Crews working to clean up landslide debris from railroad tracks in San Clemente, CA. (Matthew Spector) 
Crews working to clean up landslide debris from railroad tracks in San Clemente, CA.
Orange County Transit Authority officials confirmed on Tuesday that they are allowing some freight trains to pass through the area between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., but only at a maximum speed of ten miles per hour. An inspection is then conducted after each train passes through, officials said.
With this being the fifth landslide in San Clemente in the last three years, homeowners and city officials share the same trepidations that private homes could start being affected by the shifting hillside in addition to rail traffic.
However, until the storm completely passes through, the damage cannot be assessed.
“What we see here in San Clemente is that when we have the rain, it soaks into the sand that’s on our bluffs and we see movement days after the rain,” said San Clemente City Councilman Chris Duncan.
The Mariposa Bridge will remain closed indefinitely, and a timetable for passenger train service to resume has not been established.
For more details on the storm heading for Southern California, click here.
