State transportation officials announced millions of dollars in funding Thursday for maintenance and improvement projects on the beleaguered coastal rail corridor in San Diego and Orange counties. The California State Transportation Agency, or CalSTA, allocations include $26.8 million to replace a 100-year-old, single-track railroad bridge across the San Luis Rey River in Oceanside. The new double-tracked bridge and 0.6 mile of additional second track will extend an existing 10.3-mile stretch of double-track in North County. The San Diego Association of Governments and North County Transit District have been working for years to build a second set of tracks between the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego and the Orange County border. A double-tracked line allows trains to pass each other, increasing efficiency and reliability. “Two lanes are more important than one, we all know that from driving on the highways,” said Solana Beach mayor and SANDAG board member Lesa Heebner at a news conference in San Clemente to announce the awards. SANDAG also will get a CalSTA grant for $11.6 million to help cover the costs of efforts underway to stabilize the eroding coastal bluff that carries the tracks in Del Mar. The work includes drainage improvements, seawalls and an additional 128 soldier piles in the fifth phase of stabilization projects started more than 20 years ago. “We know we are all too vulnerable to coastal erosion and the growing impacts of climate change,” Heebner said. “The long-term benefits of these projects extend beyond transportation. They support our economy … our environment and the well-being of our communities.” The Orange County Transportation Authority will receive $125 million for projects to protect about seven miles of railroad at the edge of the beach in San Clemente. OCTA owns 40 miles of track between San Clemente and Fullerton. Landslides on the San Clemente bluffs above the tracks have suspended passenger train service for months at a time in recent years. Advancing beach erosion also threatens the railway. “This is a great day for Orange County,” said Darrell E. Johnson, CEO of the Orange County agency. “This is a $125 million investment in the future of Orange County and will go a long way toward keeping our rail line moving safely and efficiently,” Johnson said. San Diego is the southern terminus of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor, which stretches 351 miles from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. The corridor is San Diego’s only rail connection to Los Angeles and the rest of the United States. NCTD CEO Shawn Donaghy emphasized the importance of state and regional agencies working together to improve the rail system. “In addition to the improvements that this investment will have on passenger rail, it also will have a decades-long impact on the improvement of commerce and economic development through freight movement and national security as a part of the Strategic Rail Corridor Network,” Donaghy said. The grants show California’s understanding that alternative modes of transportation will continue to help reduce highway congestion and protect the environment, he said. “We are building a template for the next 100 years and beyond,” Donaghy said. The money was part of $1.3 billion in transportation grants statewide, including one for work on the LOSSAN corridor in Santa Barbara. CalSTA Secretary Toks Omishakin from Sacramento joined local administrators and elected officials in San Clemente for the announcement. Other participants included state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas; Assemblymember Laurie Davies, R-Laguna Niguel; and Orange County Supervisor and OCTA board member Katrina Foley.