SANDAG is currently building the Del Mar Bluffs Phase 5 stabilization project, a short-term construction effort to protect the coastal bluffs and railroad for the next 30 years. Construction is taking place from spring 2024 through 2027. Construction crews are installing additional support columns, extending seawalls (concrete walls designed to protect the bluffs from high tides), and improving drainage. Crews will also enhance other stabilization and erosion control measures to support the railroad and reinforce the bluffs. The work area will be replanted with California native plant species. Total cost of the project is expected to be $88 million.

The LOSSAN rail line is an important link for passenger and freight travel between San Diego County and the rest of California and the nation. The Del Mar Bluffs Phase 5 project will protect the bluffs and the railroad so passenger and freight trains can continue providing much-needed services while we work toward a long-term effort to relocate the LOSSAN rail line away from the bluffs. Learn more about the LOSSAN Rail Realignment project.

The Del Mar Bluffs Phase 5 project is a short-term solution that will help stabilize the coastal bluffs for the next 30 years. The LOSSAN Rail Realignment project is a long-term effort to remove the railroad track from the eroding bluffs and relocate them inland. Currently, the rail realignment project is set to enter the environmental phase. Over the next few years, SANDAG will study alternative alignments following guidelines from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

The project area extends 1.7 miles along the Del Mar bluffs from 15th Street in the City of Del Mar to the bridge at North Torrey Pines Road.

Construction work usually takes place Mondays through Fridays during normal business hours.

Throughout the project lifecycle, work may also occasionally take place at night and on the weekends. Sometimes, the complexity of an operation or the size of a necessary piece of equipment makes daytime work infeasible because of passenger and freight trains using the track during the day. Construction activities that will occur at night include stabilization column installation, excavations, wall construction, and drainage improvements. Impacts include light from construction lighting necessary to maintain a safe work zone, noise from OSHA-mandated back-up alarms, and other equipment noise, including noise generated by large drill rigs. Night shifts will be intermittent, typically lasting a few weeks to months before crews move to a new location along the bluffs.

Construction schedules can change for a variety of reasons, including weather, high tides, animal nesting seasons, and more. Stay up to date on construction activities that may impact you by signing up for our project emails at SANDAG.org/subscribe and view SANDAG.org/news for the latest project press releases and public notices. This project webpage will also be updated regularly to reflect upcoming night and weekend work.

An Absolute Work Window (AWW) is a period of work in which the entire rail line from Oceanside to San Diego is closed. During an AWW, Amtrak and COASTER services from the Oceanside Transit Center to the Santa Fe Depot are unavailable. AWW’s occur throughout the year to accommodate railroad construction in areas throughout San Diego County. The schedule is determined by NCTD. By taking full advantage of AWW dates, our construction crews can expedite construction and minimize night work. View the AWW schedule for 2024 and 2045 on the NCTD website.

Yes, you can access the beach through legal crossings at public beach entry areas. Please be cautious and aware of your surroundings at all times during construction and avoid construction zones for your safety.

Due to the nature of the bluff material in Del Mar, construction activities involving digging along the upper and lower bluffs can lead to material in the project area becoming fine particulate matter, or dust. SANDAG crews engage in a variety of mitigation efforts, including watering the dirt and applying a layer of dust palliative material to keep the dirt and dust from spreading into nearby areas. While this will not eliminate all of the dust from the project, SANDAG construction crews are working hard to minimize dust impacts to the surrounding community.

When any of these conditions are met, vegetation may need to be trimmed back or partially cleared:

• Vegetation extends onto the NCTD rail right-of-way (ROW).
• It is entirely within the NCTD ROW.
• It conflicts with areas where work will be performed.
• It restricts access for SANDAG’s construction crews.

If vegetation trimming or clearing within the NCTD ROW adjacent to private property is required, SANDAG Outreach staff will provide advanced notice and be available to answer project questions. Once construction for Del Mar Bluffs Phase 5 has finished in 2027, crews will begin revegetating disturbed project areas with native plants.

Your safety is very important to SANDAG. We ask that you please exercise caution and be aware of your surroundings during construction. Construction will be separated from public areas while crews are working on the rail line and on the bluffs. When construction is taking place on the beach, crew members with flags will be able to direct you safely around the work area.

Call the project hotline at 858.549.RAIL (7245) or email lossancorridor@sandag.org with any questions. To learn more about the project, sign up for email updates at SANDAG.org/subscribe by checking the “LOSSAN Rail” box under the “Transit & Rail Projects” header.