There’s an orphan underpass in Malibu, and no one wants to claim it.
With a recent heat wave bringing on an influx of visitors and a busy summer surely on the horizon, workers at Malibu Seafood and the Malibu RV Park are wondering why a nearby underpass hasn’t been cleaned up and put to use as a functioning pedestrian walkway.
The underpass, they believe, could deter visitors and beachgoers from running across Pacific Coast Highway to get to Malibu Seafood, Malibu RV Park or nearby Corral Beach, but public officials say the underpass in question is a storm drain and was never meant for pedestrian use.
Jeff Landry, the property manager from the Malibu Beach RV Park, wants something done for the safety of the customers who contribute millions of dollars annually to the local economy.
“It is a very, very dangerous corridor of highway,” said Landry. “We have had guests hit by cars at the entrance of our park and no one will do anything about it until someone dies.”
The out-of-commission underpass is controlled by the state-run agency Caltrans. Patrick Chandler, a Caltrans public information officer, said the agency has no plans to refurbish the underpass for pedestrian and tourist use. Despite its “storm drain” status, some visitors do, from time to time, wade through its muddy waters to avoid PCH, which looms above the corridor.
“It is a storm drain. Caltrans is not providing access to the beach through one of our storm drains,” Chandler said. “As a matter of fact, there are no underpasses in the city limits of Malibu at all.”
Malibu Seafood Manager Cathy Scott said she had “no idea” the underpass was a waterway and not designed for pedestrian use.
“Everyone thinks it is a pedestrian underpass,” she said.
Like Scott, many residents and tourists interviewed by The Malibu Times thought it was a pedestrian underpass.
Located just east of Malibu Seafood across from Corral Beach, wooden steps lead willing participants down to the underpass’ wide concrete corridor, which is usually filled with a combination of sand, mud and mucked up plants and garbage. Rusted pipes hang overhead in the corridor and the concrete walls are painted various shades of blue and gray. Small brown signs are posted along the way, warning patrons: “Seasonal Beach Access, Use At Your Own Risk” with a white arrow pointing toward the corridor. Caltrans, California State Parks, the city’s Public Works Department and the Santa Monica Mountain Conservatory all denied it was their sign.
The corridor has a very low ceiling, which Scott said many have hit their head on.
City Councilwoman Laura Rosenthal, who touted PCH safety as a top priority in her recent re-election bid, said the city has no control or ability to possibly put the underpass to use.
“[The city doesn’t] own the underpasses and we can’t tell [CalTrans] what to do with them,” she said.
City Manager Jim Thorsen offered little hope of possible pedestrian use there in the future.
“We are looking in the long range future at making it a pedestrian-friendly underpass and we have discussed it in detail with Caltrans, but at this point there hasn’t been any progress on that. It is not the high priority,” Thorsen said.
The City of Malibu and a PCH safety task force applied for a $124,250 grant through the State Office of Traffic Safety in February 2014. If awarded, the money would be used on projects to improve traffic and pedestrian safety along the highway. However, none of the grant proceeds requested were designated for a potential underpass project.
Councilmembers Lou La Monte and Rosenthal provided letters of support for the grant by attaching news clips about injuries and fatalities on PCH.
A decision on the grant application is expected by the end of this summer.
Next week: A report on the use of the Topanga Canyon State Beach pedestrian underpass.
