Completion of Basilone Road Remediation, Bolstering Readiness at Camp Pendleton

SAN DIEGO — Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps Installation (MCI) West hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southwest’s remediation, repair and redevelopment of MCB Camp Pendleton’s critical Basilone Road, July 2 in the San Onofre area of MCB Camp Pendleton.

"What makes this day special is that our very presence here means that war fighting readiness is getting a big boost,” said MCI West and MCB Camp Pendleton Commanding General Brig. Gen. Nick Brown. “It means that quality of life will be improved and it gives us the opportunity to see what happens within an entire civ-mil community is called to action to support our national defense. On any given day here on Camp Pendleton, thousands of Marines are planning, preparing, and training to fight and win in battle. Those marines rely on quick access to the various camp’s ranges, training areas, and facilities to improve their war fighting readiness. So, when access is interrupted, especially by the power of nature, it becomes what I will call an interior crisis and when an interior crisis impact readiness and even more importantly when itjeopardizes the safety of our military members and civilians, it becomes a rallying call for everyone in the installation’s business and all our community partners to find a solution. That’s exactly what our friends in Congress, our state representatives, leaders at Marine Corps Installations Command, and experts at both NAVFAC and Camp Pendleton’s Public Works did. They answered the call and developed solutions to keep us safe and ready to fight.”

The ceremony highlighted MCI West, MCB Camp Pendleton, and NAVFAC Southwest’s collaborative effort to restore and enhance one of the installation’s vital transportation arteries after severe weather impacted the region. In March 2023, a powerful storm washed out a major section of the roadway, disrupting on-base commuter traffic and threatening associated utilities.

“The Basilone Road remediation is a prime example of NAVFAC Southwest’s engineering agility and our commitment to operational readiness,” said NAVFAC Southwest ROICC Camp Pendleton Construction Manager for this project Jordan Bealmear."By restoring this critical public safety and logistical artery between the San Onofre Gate and the 52 Area, we are directly ensuring our Marines have the reliable infrastructure needed to defend the homeland, while securing the life-support utilities that take care of our people."

To permanently stabilize the complex seismically active slope, NAVFAC Southwest executed a world-class structural response. A massive 2,100-lineal-foot Secant Pile Wall was erected to anchor the hillside. The team drilled 4-foot-diameter concrete and steel shafts deep into the earth, averaging depths of 25 to 50 feet. Roadway and utility restoration work reconstructed 80,000 square feet of roadway and fully realigning critical infrastructure, which included an 18-inch waterline, 12-inch and 16-inch sewer lines, 8-inch gas line, and a major communications duct bank. Moving these utilities systems from out of the road and positioning them high and parallel to the road while stabilization work was successfully orchestrated, mitigated any damages to the installation’s connected systems from settling of an active landslide.

The road was repaired and replaced where it was damaged. This work included site preparation, paving and site improvements, and addressed associated work needed to construct the main roadway which opened access roads, installed curbs with gutters and guardrails, developed retaining walls, laid new road striping and signage, and maintained access to nearby base housing and training areas.

NAVFAC Southwest awarded a $39.1 million contract to Reyes Construction Inc. in July 2024 to execute the work of stabilizing the land, address crucial road slope repairs, and to complete the road’s realignment and renovations.

The success of this project relied on seamless integration between NAVFAC Southwest, MCB Camp Pendleton Facilities Maintenance Division Water Department, and Marine Corps’ Environmental team to keep the critical path moving forward. Regulatory hurdles were overcome by successfully managing an 18-day critical path delay caused by a State Division of Drinking Water waiver process. The project team also successfully navigated volatile global steel market fluctuations during construction, mitigated all material cost variances, and delivered this heavily steel-reinforced project strictly within budget and with minimal impact to the project schedule.

NAVFAC Southwest quickly overcame obstacles that the landslide unearthed. The team discovered hazardous materials in the form of buried concrete that was contaminated with asbestos. NAVFAC Southwest partnered with Marine Corps’ Environmental team to immediately implement health protocols and to safely abate the hazard with minimal delay to the project schedule. During excavations, a legacy sheet pile wall was unearthed revealing an active waterline that was still connected to abandoned infrastructure, which was then successfully isolated.

“This remediation project reflects NAVFAC Southwest’s commitment to the daily lives of the Camp Pendleton community,” said NAVFAC Southwest Project Manager for this project, Michael DeCuba."By stabilizing the slope and restoring the roadway, the project will provide a safe, reliable transportation route for the thousands of service members, civilian employees, and military families who rely on it every day, while strengthening the installation’s long-term resilience and mission readiness."

Basilone Road serves as a critical logistical artery for Camp Pendleton. Basilone Road is the main road connecting the northern, central and southern part of Camp Pendleton. This length of road is important to the installation with a daily use of more than 10,000 vehicles and interconnecting to the southern part of the base with northern camps San Onofre, Horno, San Mateo, and the Las Pulgas area. It provides vital connectivity for vehicular traffic to the Marine Corps Air Station, Chappo and Headquarters Area, all located on the southern part of the base. Ensuring its long-term reliability guarantees that Marines, equipment, and essential resources can move safely and unhindered across the base, directly supporting training and operational readiness required for national defense.

The NAVFAC Southwest team who worked oversight of the project included Lead Civil Engineer Norm Sakara, DeCuba, Design Manager Miguel Ramirez, Lead Geotechnical Engineer Michael Fraser,along with ROICC Camp Pendleton’s Director Lt. Cmdr. Justin Chambers and Supervisory General Engineer Lt. Jack James, Bealmear, Contracting Officer Holly Trexler, and Engineering Technician Dennis Redger.

NAVFAC Southwest supports planning, design, construction, real estate, environmental and public works in the Southwest region and in various locations within the INDOPACOM theater to include Southern Australia. The NAVFAC Southwest Area of Responsibility spans a six-state region covering California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. It manages facility life-cycle operations and contracting, supporting 19 installations across the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force and other supported federal agencies.

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