With just 11 weeks to the unofficial start of summer, the city of San Diego is preparing to launch a series of significant repairs to the Ocean Beach Pier.
The pier was damaged by intense waves during a series of winter storms in January.
"We've got the crews hustling," San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer said Thursday. "We have a goal to have it reopened by Memorial Day."
The pier was closed Friday, Jan. 18 when several seawalls were breached at local beaches.
Lifeguards and city officials closed the pier to pedestrians as 10 to 12-foot waves tore the railing and wood paneling off the side of the pier.
City workers had to wait until the weather improved to assess the damage and, according to a statement from the mayor’s office, more than 2,200 feet of guard rail, electric, water and sewer lines need to be repaired or replaced.
The cost of the repair is estimated to be $430,000, the mayor’s office said. The funds will come from the city's budget, officials said.
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There are two phases: short-term repairs to reopen the pier for summer and the long-term assessment by a structural engineering firm to determine how to rehabilitate the pier, according to City of San Diego Deputy Chief Operating Officer Johnnie Perkins.
Perkins said he expects the results of that assessment in a few months.
"Our team will take a couple of months to review, assess and analyze the findings," he said, adding they will consider launching a rehabilitation project for the pier.
At more than 1,970 feet, the Ocean Beach pier is the second longest on the West Coast and the longest concrete pier in the world.
The pier opened in 1966 and more than 500,000 people visit every year.
