Rancho Palos Verdes considering toll road to offset landslide costs

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. - The city of Rancho Palos Verdes is looking into potentially instituting a toll on the iconic Palos Verdes Drive South in order to offset rebuilding costs associated with recent landslides. 

Rancho Palos Verdes landslides

The backstory:

Landslides have devastated the Portuguese Bend community in Rancho Palos Verdes for several years now. Last year, slides forced interruptions to gas and power services and damaged roads. Several houses were forced to be red-tagged. 

The city says the land has been moving since 1956, when Los Angeles County extended Crenshaw Boulevard. But heavy rains over the last few years have accelerated landslides.

Landslide repairs

By the numbers:

A report from NASA last month showed that the land is moving towards the ocean as much as four inches per week.

According to an RPV City Council report, "the Portuguese Bend Landslide emergency response is projected to reach approximately $47.3 million beginning in October 2022 through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025."

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With such a big bill, the city is investigating ways to get that money.

One way they may do that is by turning Palos Verdes Drive South into a toll road.

Toll road proposal

Rancho Palos Verdes, California August 31, 2024-Cars make their way along Palos Verdes Drive South in Rancho Palos Verdes where a landslide has accelerated. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

What we know:

The toll road idea goes back to at least January, according to the City Council, as they search for "alternative or additional funding sources for landslide remediation and management efforts." 

At Wednesday's City Council meeting, city staff gave an update on the proposal. Right now, the city is discussing whether to conduct a feasibility study to look into what implementing a toll on the road would look like. The study would look at things like costs, legal barriers, and how traffic on other nearby roads would be impacted.

A proposal is expected to be sent to the Council in "the coming weeks," officials said.

Dig deeper:

In a statement to FOX 11, city officials emphasized that the Council hasn't been presented with any proposal for a toll road.

"Apparently, there are many rumors out there that the toll road is a done deal," RPV Mayor David Bradley said during Wednesday's meeting, but added that "we are a long way from ever implementing a toll road along PV Drive South."

Bradley said that several residents had suggested the toll road, and the Council though it would be "prudent" to explore the idea.

Video of the discussion can be found by tapping or clicking here (at the 1:40:00 mark), or in the video player below.

What's next:

City staff said they expect to present a contract on the feasibility study "in the coming weeks," but when exactly that would be wasn't clear.