Santa Monica officials will remove a crumbling cliff over Pacific Coast Highway after ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic’s wife spotted a crack and alerted authorities.
Engineers and geologists will stabilize and remove the problem area – 4,000 cubic feet of dirt that has been compounded over thousands of years.
Santa Monica officials will remove a collapsed portion of a cliff above Pacific Coast Highway after the wife of ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic alerted authorities after spotting a crack.
The city will close lanes of the iconic highway this week and make emergency repairs to sections of the cracking cliffside that are at risk of collapsing onto the road below.
Engineers and geologists will stabilize and remove the problem area – which is 4,000 cubic feet of dirt that has been compounding for thousands of years.
There are huge cracks in the bluffs near the Santa Monica Veterans Memorial and the Arizona Avenue Pedestrian Bridge.
The city will close lanes of the iconic highway this week and make emergency repairs to sections of the cracking cliffside (pictured) that are at risk of collapsing onto the road below.
Photographer and studio executive Suzanne Yankovic brought the issue to light. He shared a video of the fault on Instagram, with the caption: ‘@cityofsantamonica I noticed this crack from the bluff, looks precarious’
It is believed that the crack was caused by the historic storm that passed through Southern California this year.
The issue was first highlighted by photographer and studio executive Suzanne Yankovic, 61.
He shared a video of the fault on Instagram, with the caption: ‘@cityofsantamonica I noticed this crack from the bluff, looks precarious.’
She is married to ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic.
Yankovic was standing on a hill overlooking the highway and coastline when he zoomed in on the crack and told his followers.
The bluff that seemed to cleave away from the rest was the one closest to the highway – where traffic passes every day.
It is believed that the crack was caused by the historic storm that passed through Southern California this year.
There are large cracks in the bluffs near the Santa Monica Veterans Memorial and the Arizona Avenue Pedestrian Bridge.
Engineers and geologists will fix and remove the problem area – 4,000 cubic feet of dirt that has been compounding for thousands of years.
Yankovic, along with friend Shawn James, then contacted Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath – who took the matter forward.
James wrote after the news that the hill would be groomed: ‘Thanks to his vigilance, we took action and contacted city leaders and I’m thrilled to announce that the danger is finally being removed!
‘Safety first, always! A big thank you to everyone involved in making our coastal roads safer for everyone.’
Santa Monica Public Works Director Rick Valte said: ‘We can’t really specify if it’s going to break in a year, 10 years, a month or tomorrow.
‘We’ve had an exceptionally wet winter season and we’ve noticed that some of the bluff has been closed off during a very wet winter season.
‘If this column does find separation from the rest of the bluffs, it is very likely that most of it will fall onto PCH, and that could be a safety concern for commuters.’
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