Cement pumped into collapsed beach path in Pacifica

PACIFICA, Calif. (KGO) -- A huge cement pumping truck was brought in to begin fixing a portion of a sea wall on Esplanade Avenue in Pacifica that was washed out during a storm over the weekend.

"Sand just, you know washed away and that's why we have a big cavity," contractor Nasser Elsalhi said.

The sand behind the sea wall was carved out because of rain runoff and an irrigation pipe that broke.

The concrete will help shore up the base of the wall again and then crews will re-fill the walkway with sand.

Some are wondering if it will even reopen. "Of course It's supposed to re-open, probably by the end of this week," Elsalhi said.

The preparations for this concrete pour stirred a bit of excitement and concern.

On Monday, workers installed a chain link fence on the overlook. Then, two men tethered down the side of the hill to take a look at how much of the base had washed out.

One resident whose apartment faces the cliff told ABC7 News he was concerned for workers safety. "The concern there is you don't go down anywhere by yourself when it's involving the ocean and a section of land that just slid 50 to 60 feet," neighbor Fred Phillips said.

The fire department was called in as a precaution and they asked about the contractor's action plan.

A coast guard environmental team was also there to make sure no contaminants were part of the washout. "We came down today just to get an assessment of what kind of pollution risks there may be along the shoreline. Obviously we can't go down since the beach is secured, that's a safety concern," US Coast Guard Lt. Megan Mervar said.

They had to walk a couple miles south to get beach access and then walk all the way back.