'Safe Trestles' coalition launches design contest

A competition is under way to design a safe access to Lower Trestles, one of America's most popular surfing beaches.

Where: Lower Trestles, a mile south of San Clemente, part of San Onofre State Beach, off the Basilone Road exit of I-5

The problem: The most direct path to the waves is to illegally cross railroad tracks. It's near a curve, and dangerous. Some surfers take shortcuts through a wetland that the California Department of Parks and Recreation is trying to protect.

The news: Architecture for Humanity, a nonprofit organization, announced Thursday that it is partnering with the San Onofre Foundation, the Surfrider Foundation and Nike 6.0 to sponsor "Safe Trestles," a contest to design a safe, low-impact access to the beach.

Goals: to offer safe access, protect the damaged wetlands, provide lookout points and educate the public

Options: overpass, at-grade crossing or underpass

The vibe: "We are calling upon the creative world to define a vision of safe and secure access to Trestles. By highlighting pragmatic solutions, we can allow open access for California's coastal community and set a model for environmentally sound access to our waters," Cameron Sinclair, executive director and co-founder of Architecture for Humanity, said in a news release.

Another view: "We encourage the public to participate in this conceptual design process, offering their ideas for appropriate low-impact trail improvements and at-grade or subgrade rail-crossing designs that will assure safe coastal access to Trestles for the generations to come," Steve Long of the San Onofre Foundation said in the same release.

Phase 1: conceptual design

Registration ends: March 17

Entries due: April 17

Winners named: May 1 at the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro

Phase 2: schematic design, starts May 4

Winners named: Sept. 1 at the Hurley Pro

Open to: pros (licensed architects and professional designers) and amateurs (students and people who are not design professionals)

Fee: $20 per entry; supports the Surfrider Foundation, San Onofre Foundation and Architecture for Humanity

Sources: Architecture for Humanity, PR Newswire/US Newswire