Pacific Coast Highway is one of America’s most iconic drives. And right now, one stretch of it is fighting to stay above the Pacific.
At El Morro, beside Crystal Cove State Park near Laguna Beach, a massive fracture has opened along the bluff supporting PCH. Caltrans says the crack measures as much as 360 feet long and two feet wide. With the ocean chewing away at the slope below, crews are racing to stabilize the hillside before winter’s worst storms arrive.
Local surfer and skimboarder Blair Conklin has been documenting the damage, from the original split to emergency work along the highway, including in his latest YouTube update. In earlier footage, he warned that part of PCH might “crumble into the ocean.”
The timing couldn’t be worse.
NOAA has confirmed that El Niño-related Kelvin waves are contributing to record-breaking water levels along California’s coast, including some of the highest readings in more than a century. These long-traveling ocean disturbances raise coastal sea levels, amplifying the effects of ordinary tides and powerful surf.
Related: Watch: Seawall Collapses at Iconic SoCal Hotel Amid Massive Surf
In late October, gauges in Los Angeles, San Diego Bay, Santa Barbara, and La Jolla registered all-time water-level records. Los Angeles sea levels averaged 1.3 feet above predictions during the final week of October, according to NOAA data.
Meanwhile, the damage near El Morro has already forced traffic restrictions. Caltrans secured $4 million in initial emergency funding and began a multiphase stabilization project, including measures to protect the slope from further wave erosion.
“Protecting the traveling public is our top priority,” said Caltrans District 12 Director Lan Zhou.
Governor Gavin Newsom visited Crystal Cove on October 27 to sign an executive order directing state agencies to protect Highway 1 and coastal communities ahead of El Niño storms.
The nightmare scenario? Winter swells arriving on top of already elevated seas, just as more extreme king tides approach.
For now, El Morro is more than a road repair. It’s a test of how much punishment Southern California’s coastline—and the highway running alongside it—can withstand.
“The trap bags seem to be really doing their job on the south end of the bluff,” Conklin noted. “Those things are fully blocking the waves from hitting the bottom of the cliff.”
However, with another round of extreme King Tides forecasted for later this month, the true test is yet to come.
“It will be fascinating to see what happens at the end of the month when we have those King Tides again,” Conklin warned. “If we have any swell paired with that, it’s going to be very interesting to see how far waves can wash up to the base of that sea cliff.”
Related: Record-Breaking Tides Flood California Beach Towns as El Niño Kelvin Wave Hits (Video)
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