At Mirada Road, the Coastal Trail Is Being Patched for Winter While the Real Fix Waits

Three public agencies have work planned this season at the north end of Half Moon Bay's Coastal Trail. San Mateo County is putting giant sandbags on the beach below the Mirada Road pedestrian bridge. California State Parks has approval to swing a broken stretch of trail inland, a little south of the bridge. The City of Half Moon Bay is designing a resurfacing of the trail from Mirada Road south to Seymour Bridge, with construction expected in 2027.

The agencies describe the two projects at the bluff edge as interim measures, because the lasting answer at Mirada Road is to move the trail away from the ocean. Each repair on that edge is meant to hold only until that happens.

This Month, Sandbags Below the Bridge

San Mateo County Public Works hired Andreini Bros., Inc. for what it calls the Emergency Mirada Road Bridge Temporary Bluff Protection Project, in the community of Miramar. In its October 29 press release, republished by Coastside Buzz, the County said the purpose is to protect the exposed bluff face and seawall ahead of a stronger-than-usual storm season driven by El Niño conditions. The protection is a row of Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers, large sandbags set on the beach to take the force of the waves before they reach the bluff.

The schedule the County published:

• Start: installation set to begin November 3, 2026, for about two to three weeks
• Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Bridge and road: the pedestrian bridge and the part of Mirada Road next to it may close during work hours. Both reopen by 5:00 p.m. each day and stay open on weekends
• Parking: restricted in the work zone during work hours, so cars need to be moved before 8 a.m. on workdays
• Beach: generally open, with some sections blocked off. The staircase on the south side of the bridge may close if the work affects safe access

The County says crews will try to let people through or around the work area when it is safe. It also warns that pedestrian access may be unavailable during some activities. Weekly updates will be posted on the County's project page, and questions go to [email protected].

This isn't the County's first repair here. In December 2024, Public Works said it had finished fixing sections of Mirada Road damaged by wave action during winter storms, and had added rock to reinforce the existing slope protection, Coastside Buzz reported. The sandbags are the next round of the same effort to protect the bluff.

Just South of the Bridge, a Repair Meant to Be Temporary

The trail problem sits a short distance south. According to Coastside News coverage of the May 26, 2026 Half Moon Bay Planning Commission meeting, a 50-foot section of the California Coastal Trail south of Mirada Road has fallen into the ocean, leaving a 25-foot drop where people used to walk and ride. The same report said orange barricades were put up at the gap, and that some of them had gone over the edge too.

This piece of trail matters more than its length suggests. Coastside News called it a critical north-south link on the Coastal Trail between Poplar Beach and El Granada. Commissioner Christopher DelNagro said at the meeting that his kids "ride this all the way up to El Granada."

State Parks applied for a coastal development permit to move the trail slightly east of the eroding edge, with split-rail fencing and warning signs. Linda Hitchcock of State Parks described it plainly at the meeting: "This is a temporary managed retreat. This is the first step in moving this trail eastward."

Most of the debate was about the surface. State Parks proposed decomposed granite because it could go in quickly. DelNagro pointed out that it would be the only gravel section of the Coastal Trail inside city limits, and that many bikes don't handle it well. Project engineer Robert Stevens put the cost of asphalt at about $10,000 more on a budget of roughly $35,000. DelNagro estimated the extra materials for such a small section at about $1,000 to $1,250. The commission approved the permit 4-0, on the condition that it be asphalt. Hitchcock said Casa Mira is paying for the work, so switching to asphalt might mean asking for more money. Coastside News reported that State Parks would need to secure that funding or return to the commission.

Chair David Gorn was frank about how long the repair might last:

"I'd be surprised if it lasted the winter. The riprap stops right before it. All the force of the water goes to that spot. That's why it washed out."

He still voted for it. Coastside News quoted him: "Nobody up here wants to say no to fixing this trail, even if it lasts six months or a year or two years."

Why the Long-Term Answer Is Moving the Trail

Gorn mentioned riprap ending right before the washout. That rock is where the long-term story starts. In 2019, the California Coastal Commission allowed shoreline armoring for the building at 2 Mirada Road, which predates the Coastal Act. It did not allow armoring for the Casa Mira condominiums or for the Coastal Trail, reasoning that the trail could be moved east, Coastside Buzz reported. The Casa Mira association challenged that decision in court. The First District Court of Appeal reversed the trial court's ruling, and on March 12, 2025, the California Supreme Court declined to review the case.

At the May meeting, planning consultant Bridget Jett told the commission that managed retreat at this site is inevitable and that the Coastal Commission will not permit riprap there. She added that the ongoing litigation over the unpermitted seawall complicates any long-term solution. Coastside Buzz summed up the vote in its headline: a repair approved for public safety "in face of a better plan held up by coastal lawsuit."

That's the common thread at this end of the trail. The bluff can't be armored to hold the trail where it is, so each repair on the edge is built to last until the trail moves inland. The sandbags below the bridge follow the same logic. The County describes them as temporary protection for the coming storm season.

The 2027 Repave Covers the Rest of the Route

From Mirada Road south, the work is more routine. The City of Half Moon Bay and California State Parks are partnering on the Coastal Trail Safety and Rehabilitation Project, covering about 3.4 miles of existing trail between Mirada Road and Seymour Bridge. In the City's grant application to C/CAG, the county transportation agency, the problems listed were deteriorating pavement, trip hazards, encroaching vegetation, and sediment that narrows the usable trail. In April, Coastside Buzz described the goal as restoring the trail to its original width.

The funding line comes from a C/CAG board resolution adopted October 8, 2026. It approves the countywide priority list and sends the claim on to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. According to the City's Fall and Winter 2026-27 Currents newsletter, final design is underway. As part of that work, the City is flying a drone over the whole trail to map pavement, vegetation, drainage and other existing problems. If you notice a small survey crew with a drone on the bluffs, that's what it is.

The repave stops at Mirada Road, where the bluff work begins. The north end of the route will get a smoother surface in 2027. The edge just past it stays tied to the longer plan of moving the trail inland.

Planning Your Walks This Winter

1. Go on weekends or after 5 p.m. if you need the bridge. For the length of the County's work, the Mirada Road pedestrian bridge is scheduled to be open evenings and weekends, with daytime closures possible on weekdays.
2. Use the State Parks lots to get on the trail. California State Parks lists Francis, Venice, Dunes and Roosevelt beaches as parking and access points for its Coastside Trail, and the trail can be reached from all four lots.
3. Keep your car out of the work zone on weekdays. Move it out of the area near the bridge before 8 a.m. and follow the posted "No Parking" signs.
4. Check the County's weekly update before heading out. Each one covers the coming week's limits on the bridge, the road, parking and beach access, including the stairs south of the bridge.

If you live near Miramar or along the trail, projects like these come up when a buyer asks what's happening down the street. The Serdy Team follows these projects closely and can show how they fit into what your home is worth today. Request a complimentary home valuation, and we'll walk you through it.