Against the backdrop of Pacific Coast Highway, majestic bluffs and the Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica city leaders officially reopened the iconic California Incline on Sept. 1, just ahead of the Labor Day weekend.
One of Southern California’s most scenic and highly- traveled routes, the incline has been closed for seismic repairs since April 2015 and reopened with a press conference, followed by a photo booth, music and a special Santa Monica Public Library pop up.
Representatives from the Santa Monica Conservancy and Santa Monica History Museum were on hand to share details about the history of the incline.
Originally known as the Sunset Trail in the late 19th century, the incline is a prime regional connector, a tourist destination and one of the many locations where Westside joggers come to train.
The new incline has a new concrete bridge deck that now sits on 96 concrete piles drilled beneath the bluff’s surface. The bike and pedestrian path has one lane for vehicles in both directions. The new path is wider than it was before the new repairs.
The nearby bluffs have been reinforced with over 1,000 soil nails drilled into its surface.
“We are thrilled to welcome the new safer and stronger California Incline on the 120th anniversary of the Sunset Trail,” said Santa Monica Mayor Tony Vazquez.
The $20 million project received $18 million in federal funding. Rep. Ted Lieu (D- Santa Monica) joined House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D- San Francisco) last summer at the incline during congressional budget negotiations and called the retrofitting project an excellent example of public works initiatives that needed to be funded by the federal government.
“We know that our roads, highways and bridges form the spine of the American economy, and it is time to renew, rebuild and reinvest in America,” Lieu said. “And by doing so we’re going to create millions of good, well-paying, middle-class jobs that cannot be outsourced.”
Lieu will make a pitch to reauthorize the Federal Highway Trust Fund, the funding source used to pay for the incline repairs.
“This vital link between Santa Monica and PCH demonstrates what federal dollars can do to support significant local infrastructure,” Vasquez said.
Curtis Castle, an engineer with the city’s Public Works Dept., called the newly restructure roadway a “feat of modern engineering” but also “the fruit of great human effort, sure to be with us for some time to come.”
The California Dept. of Transportation (Caltrans) worked with the city’s public works department on the projects, as well as construction contractor MCM Construction, which builds highways and bridges.
“This is the most team oriented project that I’ve ever worked on,” said Jeff McDermott of MCM Construction.
The incline would have opened sooner but work on another city project, the Idaho Pedestrian Overcrossing, required additional time to be completed and delayed work on the incline.
Gary Walker contributed to this story.