Crews upgraded damaged barriers near the Getty Villa and Big Rock Drive with steel and fireproof coatings to prevent future landslides.
Caltrans has finished rebuilding two protective walls along Pacific Coast Highway that were damaged during the Palisades Fire, hitting a major checkpoint in the state’s rush to secure the highway before winter storms.
Crews replaced a 460-foot catchment wall south of Big Rock Drive and repaired a 710-foot retaining wall right below the Getty Villa. Both barriers are designed to keep rocks and debris from sliding onto the highway.
Rebuilding the Big Rock Drive wall cost about $17 million. Workers ripped out the damaged frame and replaced it with steel beams and concrete lagging to withstand future fires better. The project also added a new drainage system, protective wire mesh on the hillside to catch falling rocks, a security fence, and fresh pavement along the shoulder.
Just down the road, crews fixed the 710-foot “Getty Villa wall,” swapping out damaged panels and spraying the wooden sections with a fire-resistant coating to keep them from burning in future wildfires.
While both walls are now fully functional, Caltrans warned that fire recovery work along PCH is not over and will continue through the end of the year.
