On July 16, the City Council will consider planned repairs to the steep section of Palos Verdes Drive South between Narcissa and Peppertree Drives, also known as the “ski jump.” The stretch spans two sub-slides in the Portuguese Bend Landslide complex that are pulling away from each other, causing cracks that have made the roadway more difficult to traverse and in need of frequent repairs.
At the direction of the Council, City staff has explored the possibility of completely re-grading the ski jump using innovative materials such as geofoam blocks, which are synthetic lightweight blocks with similar compression strength as traditional fill materials. Staff has determined this work would likely exceed $5 million, necessitate roadway closures for several weeks, and require significant maintenance due to the risk of the ski jump continuing to pull apart. Therefore, this option is not recommended at this time.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Council will consider the recommended option to continue asphalt repairs on a regular basis, while awaiting the City’s landslide mitigation measures to significantly slow the landslide movement. Regular repaving of the ski jump section of Palos Verdes Drive South is estimated to cost $750,000 to $1 million over the course of a year.
A staff report (PDF) with more information is available on the City website.
Meeting Info
The City Council meeting will take place on July 16 at 7 p.m. in McTaggart Hall at Hesse Park and via Zoom. Watch live at rpvca.gov or on Cox 33/FiOS 38.
Share your thoughts on this topic with the City Council before the meeting by emailing them to cc@rpvca.gov. To participate in public comment during the meeting, fill out a speaker slip if you are attending in person, or complete a form online at rpvca.gov/participate to participate virtually or leave a pre-recorded voice message.
Media Inquiries
If you have a media inquiry related to land movement in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, please contact the City's communications partner, Tripepi Smith, with your questions, at RPVMedia@TripepiSmith.com. They will also add you to our media list so you receive our listserv updates, press releases and media advisories.
If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in programs, services, activities and meetings, contact the City's ADA Coordinator/Risk Manager at 424-327-3982, adarequests@rpvca.gov, 30940 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275, at least 48 hours in advance to request an auxiliary aid or accommodation.