State transportation officials outlined two major pavement rehabilitation projects along Pacific Coast Highway this week, pledging safety upgrades and long-term road improvements while addressing public concern over emergency access, pedestrian safety and the potential for new bike lanes to create hazards rather than prevent them.
The California Department of Transportation hosted a virtual meeting Monday to present details of the two projects, which will span more than 27 miles of State Route 1 from Santa Monica through Malibu to the Ventura County line. The first project covers the stretch from the McClure Tunnel in Santa Monica to just south of Cross Creek Road, while the second picks up from Cross Creek and continues northwest to the county border.
According to Caltrans project manager Janice Lu, the two projects are intended to extend the life of the roadway, improve ride quality and reduce maintenance needs, thereby limiting exposure for maintenance crews. In addition to resurfacing and structural work, both projects will incorporate elements of the agency’s Complete Streets policy, which mandates that transportation infrastructure upgrades include features supporting pedestrian, cyclist and transit access whenever feasible.
The southern segment, with an estimated cost of $72 million, is expected to begin construction in summer 2027 and conclude by 2029. The northern segment, budgeted at $43 million, is scheduled to break ground one year earlier. Both projects are currently in design and environmental review phases.
Design manager Refugio Dominguez described the technical scope of the rehabilitation effort, which includes cold planing and overlay with rubberized hot mix asphalt, structural section replacements in heavily damaged areas, upgraded lighting, ADA curb ramp improvements and safety signage. The plan also calls for the installation of pedestrian countdown signals, class II bike lanes and quick-curb channelization features throughout various segments.
However, Dominguez acknowledged significant design challenges, particularly in accommodating bike lanes along the corridor’s narrower southern section. Constraints include limited right-of-way, proximity to environmentally sensitive areas and the inability to remove street parking or encroach on existing traffic lanes without triggering extensive environmental and regulatory processes.
To manage these issues, Caltrans plans to narrow travel lanes in some areas from 12 feet to 11 feet and reduce raised medians in selected sections to two feet, in order to make room for class II bike lanes in segments where feasible. In the northern project area alone, officials estimate that 7.7 miles of new bike lanes will be installed northbound and 7.1 miles southbound.
The projects will also add six new sidewalks along key points such as Heathercliff Road, Malibu Canyon Road and Bush Drive, many of them designed to improve pedestrian access to existing bus stops. Several intersections, including Civic Center Drive and Malibu Road, will be realigned or modified to improve visibility and reduce skew angles.
Despite these enhancements, several speakers voiced frustration with the scope and sequencing of the work, especially in light of the ongoing post-wildfire reconstruction effort in Malibu. Wade Major, a public works commissioner for the city, said he was disappointed that the plans had not been brought before the Malibu Public Works Commission for input and warned that implementing major roadwork during the city’s long recovery period would result in severe congestion and public safety risks.
“You are going to be introducing horrible choke points if you begin any of these projects before we have substantially rebuilt any of our homes,” Major said. “People will die. People already die too frequently on PCH. We’re trying to make it safer. Inviting cyclists like you invite hikers makes no sense at all.”
Other residents raised practical concerns about safety and visibility, particularly at intersections and near heavily trafficked beach access points. One speaker identified as Meryl urged the agency to address hazardous pedestrian conditions south of Paradise Cove, where she said poor shoulder maintenance and overgrown vegetation have created dangerous conditions for families with children and strollers.
Dominguez said maintenance issues would be relayed to Caltrans crews and noted that additional sidewalk locations mentioned during public comment would be evaluated during the design phase. He also explained that certain environmental and archaeological restrictions, especially in coastal areas, may prevent Caltrans from adding infrastructure in some locations without further review and permissions from agencies such as the California Coastal Commission.
Questions also surfaced about the compatibility of the pavement projects with the long-term Pacific Coast Highway Master Plan Feasibility Study, which was presented later in the meeting. Nick Carmona, a member of the Complete Streets planning team at Caltrans District 7, said the two initiatives were running on parallel tracks and that feedback gathered through the master planning effort would help guide future improvements beyond the current project scope.
“These projects are operating on distinctly different timelines,” Carmona said. “What we’re doing here is what we can accommodate within the scope of the existing pavement rehabilitation effort, but the master plan gives us a chance to take a broader and more comprehensive look down the line.”
In response to multiple questions about whether the public could expect a full corridor-wide bike path or consistent sidewalk connectivity, officials reiterated that physical constraints and budget limits make it impossible to deliver uniform multimodal features across the entire 27-mile stretch at this time. Instead, the current projects will provide a mix of targeted improvements based on where space is available and where the greatest safety benefits can be achieved.
Lu said the agency has coordinated with the city of Malibu and intends to continue public outreach as the projects advance. Construction schedules will be shaped in part by the upcoming 2028 Olympics, during which a work suspension is expected from June 1 through September 1 to minimize traffic disruption.
Caltrans encouraged residents to continue submitting feedback through the project’s dedicated email address, repavepch@dot.ca.gov. The agency has also posted a recording of the meeting on its YouTube channel for those who were unable to attend live.