City officials marked the one-year anniversary of the Soledad mountain landslide last Thursday, Oct. 16, by reopening Soledad Mountain Road, allowing access between Pacific Beach and La Jolla. When Soledad Mountain Road collapsed at Desert View Drive Oct. 3, 2007, some residents were forced to evacuate, learning that their homes had a history of landslides dating back to 1961. Rupert Adams, geologist with Helenschmidt Geotechnical Inc., worked on the closed road for more than a year with colleagues and other city crews. “The road is now open,” Adams said. “They opened it Wednesday or Thursday last week. The mayor was there. But it’s not quite fully complete.”  Though traffic can now travel through Soledad Mountain Road, Adams says work still needs to be completed on Desert View Drive, the alley below Soledad Mountain Road. Adams was investigating the area with other colleagues last October for the City of San Diego after homeowners had noticed distress in nearby roads and called the city, when the land collapsed, damaging about 45 homes. Eventually the city razed three homes. The hillsides behind these houses had been slipping into the alley for several years but the homeowners didn’t realize the severity of the situation, said Battalion Chief Bruce Cartelli of the San Diego Fire Rescue Department last October. At about 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007, Engine Company 16 received an emergency call that Soledad Mountain Road was gaping open. Coincidentally, San Diego Fire Department battalion chiefs and commanders were already on their way to the scene; they said they were concerned about Soledad’s imminent danger and wanted to create a contingency plan, Cartelli said. After the dust settled, homeowners battled with the city over who was responsible for property loss. Attorneys continue litigation against the city. Meanwhile, city crews and specialists planned reconstruction of the landslide. “We’ve been responsible for the investigation and characterization of the landslide as well as all of the stabilization efforts and all the drilling and logging and geotechnical analysis of the landslide, and the design of the repair plans, including construction oversight,” Adams said regarding Helenschmidt’s role. One year and 18 days later, Soledad Mountain Road reopened. Adams said Helenschmidt continues the excavation and repair of the alley at Desert View Drive, which he estimated should reopen around April. Meanwhile, the public can drive through Soledad Mountain Road.