City officials continue meeting to hash out a complete stabilization strategy for the Mount Soledad landslides. Once experts agree on a method to keep the hole from moving further, they can move on to finishing repairing Soledad Mountain Road, allowing five homeowners back into their residences.
“Right now we are talking about adding additional shear pins to stabilize the slope on the east side, but nothing is finalized,” said Carol A. Drummond, public information officer for the City of San Diego.
When Soledad Mountain Road slid at Desert View Drive Oct. 3, 2007, six homes were red-tagged; the homeowners could not enter. Seven were yellow tagged; the owners could not spend the night in their homes. As the disaster progressed, homes were brought up in status, but three red-tagged homes were eventually demolished and five homes were left yellow-tagged; homeowners can enter but do not have utilities. Once the road is completed these residents can re-enter their houses.
In addition to construction, an ongoing forensics investigation continues. Many homeowners hired attorneys to represent their interests. Unlike those affected by the recent fires, residents weren’t covered by landslide insurance. Attorneys representing the homeowners said the city made many mistakes before the October slide; included in the dispute are water main and sewer leaks, all part of the secondary investigation.
Then a second slide occurred, widening the hole. Attorneys and some expert geologists contend the city is at fault for the secondary slide.
Steve Borron, a geologist with American Geotechnical, Inc., said the toe, or bottom, of a landslide holds the mass up. When crews took dirt from the bottom, they destabilized it, causing the second landslide, he said.
While attorneys for the homeowners continue with their investigation, which includes inspecting a previously dug water main pipe and then a sewer pipe, construction crews continue to rebuild the road.
According to Drummond, as soon as crews are able to install the final sheer pins, the hole will be stabilized, a process they’ve been working on since the first slide.
After the hole is stabilized, crews will haul truckloads of sand stored at Fiesta Island to backfill the hole. Once the hole is filled, Drummond said, crews can pave it.