LAGUNA BEACH, CA — A giant crack that opened up on the hillside under Pacific Coast Highway near Laguna Beach will cost at least $4 million to fix, KTLA reported.
The fissure is located along a stretch of Pacific Coast Highway in Crystal Cove State Park, just outside of Laguna Beach city limits. It's believed to be roughly 360 feet long and two feet wide, according to KTLA.
The $4 million in emergency funding was secured by Caltrans this week, a representative told KTLA.
California State Parks officials are also keeping close tabs on the issue, which has already prompted one full lane closure on the mass-traveled highway Wednesday, between Reef Point Drive and Irvine Cove Drive.
According to Caltrans, the closure will remain in place — with traffic in both directions condensed to one northbound lane — for the foreseeable future.
Laguna Beach City Manager Dave Kiff took to social media earlier this week to update residents about what steps Caltrans will take to rectify the cracked hillside.
"Caltrans has their best people on it, I'm convinced of that," Kiff said. "I've been talking directly with the district director here in Orange County who talks directly with her supervisors in Sacramento. This has gotten the attention of the whole Caltrans organization to make sure that the road is safe."
According to Kiff, the three-stage plan to buttress the slope includes: applying plastic tarp to the hillside, installing large boulders or rip-rap at the base and working on how to best re-design the slope for long-term retention.
There was no immediate timeline for when the repairs would be finished.
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