Santa Monica city officials are feeling pretty proud this afternoon as they celebrate the grand re-opening of a stretch of street known as the California Incline. After being closed since April of 2015, the landmark road has been updated to take cars, bikers and pedestrians from the beach to the bluffs more safely than ever before.
As the LA Times reports, the 1,400 foot Incline—a connector between the Pacific Coast Highway to Ocean and California avenues, cutting through Palisades Park—started life as a pedestrian walkway known as the Sunset Trail and provided locals with beach access as far back as 1896. As cars became the dominant way to travel around, a 1930 update created the California Incline as it is known today, carrying about 15,000 motor vehicles each day at the time it was closed for renovations.
Santa Monica had been trying to update the ramp since the 1990s, but the project was sidelined by earthquakes and competing priorities. Eventually the program restarted and, $17 million later, the new span now features 96 concrete piles drilled directly into the surface of the bluff, 1,000 soil nails stabilizing the eastern edge of the bluff itself, new contoured arches and pilasters, several feet of additional width to accommodate two lanes of traffic, plus dedicated bike and walking lanes.
Car traffic will be allowed to start rolling along the ramp Thursday afternoon at 5pm, so it’ll be ready for you to use if you’re planning a beach outing for the Labor Day weekend.
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