City of Pismo Beach
Shell Beach, California
The coastal bluffs that span Ocean Boulevard in Shell Beach were in dire straits after severe weather events in 2017 delivered critical damage to this sensitive oceanside area that had already long suffered from continual erosion and retreat. The City of Pismo Beach secured Federal Emergency Relief funding to repair the damaged bluff face and infrastructure and restore coastal access. The project, dubbed the Ocean Boulevard Improvements Project, included bluff stabilization, construction of a new pedestrian walkway, and replacement of the Morro Avenue stairway and storm drain outfall.
Earth Systems provided soils special inspection and testing during structure and trench backfill, fill placement for slope fill and sidewalk backing, subgrade, aggregate subbase and aggregate base compaction as well as materials sampling and testing for structure concrete for cast in drilled hole (CIDH) piles and structural concrete for the stairway and supporting structures.
Additional services provided by Earth Systems during construction included:
Construction finally broke ground in April 2022 following multiple delays caused by violent winter storms and concluded in September 2023.