California Incline Grand Opening

The CA Incline, last constructed in 1930, has been seismically-upgraded with a dedicated bike and pedestrian lane. The grand opening celebrates the bridge with a ceremony at 9 am, and exploration on foot from 10 am-2pm.

The original incline extended a distance of approximately 1,400 feet from the intersection of Ocean and California Avenues at the top of the Palisades bluffs to the Pacific Coast Highway (SR-1) at the base of the bluffs. The bridge portion of the incline was 750 feet long and currently consisted of an 8” concrete slab supported on transverse floor beams made of concrete.

The project entailed demolition of the existing bridge and construction of a new bridge at the same location. The new structure includes a wider sidewalk and bicycle lanes. The north and south ends of the incline remain a three-lane roadway that terminates at a signalized intersection. The new bridge consists of a pile supported reinforced concrete slab structure with a width of 52-feet, an increase of 5-feet 8-inches over the existing structure.

Replacement of the bridge with a new structure, built to current seismic standards, will correct deficiencies in the bridge and make it safe for vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian use. The California Incline qualifies for replacement under the Highway Bridge Program (HBP) and therefore 88.5% of the cost to rebuild can be paid for with Federal rather than local funds.