Beach Access at Lagoon Changes

Beachgoers now have the chance to walk through the heart of the Malibu Lagoon Restoration and Enhancement Project, starting Thursday.

The change in beach access took place Thursday, Aug. 16, according to Craig Sap, district supervisor for California State Parks Los Angeles District.

“It will give people a different view and they get to see what is going on,” Sap said. “They can get an idea of what it looks like.”

California State Parks released the following notice about the change:

The public access to the beach at will be changed to accommodate the continued restoration of the lagoon. This temporary access route will begin at the southeast end of the existing parking lot closest to Pacific Coast Highway and continue parallel to Pacific Coast Highway and then turn north toward the beach where it runs parallel to the main channel of the Malibu Lagoon across the temporary dike toward the ocean.

The new walkway across the dirt dike is fenced in on both sides to keep the public out of the lagoon channels and the construction zone, according to Sap.

Sap said the original layout of the beach access, which included a path over bridges, was not ADA compliant.

"It’s an outdoor recreational standard – that’s what state parks uses for outdoor trails," Sap said.

Once the project is completed, the beach access will be ADA compliant, according to Sap.

The temporary access path will likely be in place through the end of the project, which could be wrapped up in December or January.