Council continues emergency repairs after Pebble Beach Drive slide; approves change order and budget amendment

The Crescent City Council voted Monday to continue emergency repairs at the Pebble Beach Drive slide between Seventh and Eighth streets, to authorize contract change order No. 2 with Tidewater Contractors for work on a temporary restoration project, and to approve a fiscal-year budget amendment to fund the ongoing construction.

Public works staff described a multi-part emergency effort that began in January 2024 after a coastal bluff failure and landslide. Staff said initial design estimates in February 2024 were approximately $6.68 million; the state provided $7.9 million in working capital to make the project possible while the city seeks federal reimbursement for eligible costs. Engineering and construction work has included a retaining wall, road reconstruction, erosion control, and measures to stabilize the slope.

Public works director told the council that subsurface investigations increased the required wall depth and length compared with the original contract assumptions and that evolving Coastal Commission preferences for public access had been incorporated into the design. Among the changes incorporated into the work authorized in the change order are a pedestrian/bike path (to achieve a 10-foot travel lane on the coastal side in places), a stainless-steel cable safety rail along the ocean edge, expanded retaining-wall embedment in places where bedrock sits deeper than earlier borings indicated, and a multi-stage planting and revegetation plan with more than 500 native plants and willow shoots to stabilize the bluff and provide a greenbelt between path and wall.

Director Yaeger said staff pursued procurement and preapproved pricing for fencing, striping, landscaping and other items in order to manage costs and speed the emergency work. “The state come up with a, provided us with the $7,900,000 of funding,” he said; staff said the city expects to seek federal reimbursement for eligible work from a previously authorized disaster assistance fund.

Councilmembers discussed trail access, fencing and where the cable rail will tie into existing posts, and asked about how the work will tie into the Sixth- and Seventh-street crossings. The council also discussed traffic-lane widths and restriping plans that will narrow vehicle lanes to provide a continuous walking/biking route through the repaired area.

The council’s motion to declare the need for continued emergency action under Public Contract Code 22050, authorize the city manager to execute contract change order No. 2 with Tidewater Contractors and approve the associated budget amendment passed with a four-fifths finding. The clerk recorded the vote: Council member Dooley — yes; Council member Greeno — yes; Council member Tinkler — abstain; Mayor Pro Tem Wright — yes; Mayor Altman — yes. The council noted the project remains subject to permitting and future coordination with the Coastal Commission for permanent approvals.