San Pedro >> A newly unearthed crack in the Paseo del Mar landslide area has reignited debate over a $28.8 million plan to reconnect the collapsed roadway.

The 2 1/2-inch-wide crack — which was uncovered Oct. 28 on the eastern end of the landslide closest to homes — is being studied and monitored. It was found about 10 feet below the surface as crews continued work on a $9.14 million cleanup, grading, repair and stabilization project on the cliff-top.

The new bowl-shaped fissure, estimated to be 25 feet long, lies within the existing White Point Landslide area. Results of further geotechnical studies should be available in about a week. But authorities said the findings would not affect plans to rebuild the road with a retaining wall.

Engineers told the council office at a briefing Tuesday afternoon that finding such underground cracks is not surprising and that building the road would actually further stabilize the cliff, which is now being fitted with 18 horizontal anchors following a dewatering program. Work to install the first anchor unearthed the unknown fissure.

“We got a Geology 101 lesson from the Bureau of Engineering,” Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino said of the staff briefing. “We were assured that the building of a new retaining wall and a new road (will) maximize stabilization of the entire area.

“The engineers really didn’t bring it to anyone’s attention because they knew it was part of the whole movement of the land at the time,” Buscaino said. “They will conduct geological studies that will look into those cracks and see how long they’ve been there. They’re well below the surface.”

But nearby residents remain skeptical and contend rebuilding the road could cause further slippage. It’s safer, they argue, to abandon the roadway and allow it remain as is, essentially a route for walkers and bicyclists only.

Residents have said the area has become quieter without the through traffic, while residents of some adjacent neighborhoods say it has increased detour traffic on their streets, causing disruption.

The discovery of the new underground fissures was posted online this week by concerned residents.

“The safety of this hillside continues to be my top priority,” Buscaino said in a statement posted online. “That is why I support the White Point Landslide Advisory Committee’s recommendation to restore the roadway with a retaining wall that will maximize the stability of the entire area beyond the efforts of the slope anchors.”

The committee voted unanimously on Oct. 22 to pursue funding to rebuild the road.

Authorities said there’s no way to know how long the crack has been there — it could have occurred as part of the landslide or could predate the landslide. Monitoring has indicated that there has been no additional movement of the land since the Nov. 20, 2011, landslide along Paseo del Mar between Weymouth and Western avenues.

Underground water is now being regularly removed by dewatering devices that were installed last year on the site that takes in part of the White Point Nature Preserve.

After the new crack was discovered, those opposed to rebuilding the road launched a new online petition drive to stop what they call “the road to nowhere.”

Supporters of rebuilding the road under the umbrella of the White Point Landslide Advisory Committee, meanwhile, countered by posting a petition of their own.

Buscaino said plans to reconstruct the road are still a go.

“I got the marching orders from the advisory committee,” he said. “It’s now incumbent on me to work with the Mayor’s Office” to find the funding.