Check out my new vid!

Great Highway remains closed as agency redevelops, conflict continues

             As waves crash against the jagged seashore, onlookers huddle together, eager for warmth and shelter from the elements. They peruse the falling rocks and eroded embankments that shoulder the beach. The ocean writhes and churns, lashing out at the impermanence of the seashore.

            “This is an issue concerning Ocean Beach, Mother Earth and erosion,” said Supervisor Carmen Chu. “Ten years ago they were dealing with erosion, and today we are dealing with erosion.”

Here, at the westernmost coast of the Bay Area, miles of beaches stretch from the Cliff House to the Zoo, exposing the outermost areas of the city to the raging Pacific Ocean, as it has steadily eroded the coastline for years.

On Jan. 15, the City of San Francisco declared this area a state of emergency and closed the southbound lanes of the Great Highway south of Sloat Boulevard due to unsafe erosion conditions from storms and rising sea levels.

San Francisco’s Department of Public Works has proposed a $2.6 million-dollar plan to save the coastal road by dumping tons of large boulders over the edge of the highway. This, they assert, will protect against further erosion and “wave action.” Unfortunately for local surfers, “wave action” is crucial to their environment-based lifestyle.

“They shouldn’t put the rocks there if they’re ruining the surf break, that’s horrible. Half the people live in the Sunset because they surf there and they enjoy the beach,” said Brendan McManus, 21, who makes frequent trips from his apartment in SOMA.

“What they should do is build a high road that goes above and a little bridge or something. When the storms happens and the tide rises its just going to get destroyed by the waves anyway; it’s going to keep happening.”

With lots of head butting and little headway being made on the approved redevelopment plan that will eventually lead to the permanent re-opening of southbound traffic on San Francisco’s erosion-prone Great Highway, residents and surfers alike, remain restless.

“I go to school three times a week, sometimes coming home mid-day and going back again,” said SF State student Sara Chapman, 24. “Not having access to that part of the road adds major minutes to my drive time.”

A central problem, according to Chu, is the overlap of federal, state and city responsibility. The eroding bluff is considered to be property of the Golden Gate Park National Recreation Area whereas the roadway is on city land. Furthermore, the ocean and coastal land draw attention from state agencies, responsible for monitoring water conditions and drain runoff.

The heavily traveled coastal highway has been slowly diminishing into the sea for years, and has been closed intermittently in response to particularly damaging storms. It is currently closed for safety reasons but seems to be causing more angst then ‘thanks.’

When asked about the extent of the imposed road closure and any other thoughts moving forward, Frank Filice, manager of capital planning for the DPW, said in an e-mail that “we are mainly concerned with public safety and worried that heavy traffic vibrations could contribute to further erosion.” Clearly.

The exact reopen date is unknown, but the southbound lanes remain closed through June. Chu estimates that they should be open by late summer.

This is not the first time the Great Highway has been attacked by the frigid waters. In 1994, storms took out 30 to 40 feet of the bluff. Then in 1999, after an especially destructive El Niño winter, engineers decided to try constructing a barrier out of sand dredged from the shipping channel outside the Golden Gate. Nearly 300,000 cubic yards of sand have been dumped offshore every summer since.

A special Ocean Beach Task Force was established in 1999 to battle the problem. This task force outlined five simple steps to try and temporarily curb the problem.

The highway provides an alternate route to many commuters going between Daly City and the outer districts of the city. The four-lane highway is also a short cut to and from SF State, for students traveling from other parts of the city and bay.

“If you live anywhere in the Outer Sunset that is the fastest way to get to Highway 280, they better fix it,” said Gordon Asaoka, 56. “They just have to control Mother Nature and stop California from sliding into the ocean, it should be easy, right?”

So what is the long-term solution? No one can seem to agree. Ocean advocates like Save the Waves, a non-profit organization, believe that the repeatedly bringing in boulders to build up the seawall has not only proven to fail over time, but could also interfere with local ecology and the integrity of the surf breaks along Ocean Beach.

According to the DPW’s Web site, “the bluffs eroded up to 70 feet in some sections. Some damage also occurred under the Great Highway and near the Lake Merced Wastewater Tunnel, leaving the road and tunnel vulnerable.” Chu added that the tunnel might be the most significant problem and a threat to the city’s infrastructure.

“Ten million gallons of raw sewage would go right into the ocean,” Chu said. “All it would take is for the 14-foot pipe to burst from lack of protection due to inadequate erosion control.”

An erosion study conducted by the United States Geological Survey, states that “66 percent of California’s beaches are eroding.”

Central California, which covers the area from Point Reyes to just north of Santa Barbara, shows the highest percentage of erosion.

“Seems to me that they’re just shifting the problem somewhere else,” said Taylor Clayton, 24. “One thing I’ve read is that by putting in gigantic boulders in one place to stop erosion will mess with currents and tides and it will actually just shift the problem to another beach that’s just farther down the current; they need to find something that is more sustainable.”

            Construction is currently being carried out to restore the artificial sea wall, but no plans for long-term solutions have been decided. Most recent cost assessment estimates “coming in at around $2.9M for about 425 ft of length.” This money will come from taxpayer’s pockets.

“I think that people should figure out a system before they just use the trial by error process, it’s a waste of money for taxpayers like myself,” said Daniel Tesfai, 32. “Look at Pacifica where they’ve been putting rocks in for years and there’s still erosion.”

For now the road is closed, and temporary solutions are being implemented. The next public meeting will be held at 6:30 pm on Thursday, May 6 at the Janet Pomeroy Center.

“It’s unfortunate that this city needs to spend millions and close down one of the more major outer sunset intersections,” said Jenny Paulus, 28. “The flooding of the Great Highway is an issue that has caused many dangerous situations for commuters. I’m glad it’s finally getting resolved.”

Or is it? Stay tuned to find out if and how the problem is eventually fixed.

“It's still going on and it's a long, complicated process,” said Josh Berry, environmental director for Save the Waves. The non-profit organization has been active in the brainstorming process, advocating keeping the environment prioritized, and the surf intact.

Click here for more information and to view an ongoing timeline of the Great Highway project’s progress.
Image credits (from top to bottom): Crescent Calimpong / Surfrider Foundation, San Francisco chapter; Creative Commons, Evan Asano at surftherenow.com, Google maps.