A new addition to the Ocean Beach Pier began taking shape this week. City of San Diego contractors has installed scaffolding near the end of the pier to repair two damaged piles that hold the pier above the surface.
The OB Pier is 55 years old and was beaten pretty badly in recent winter storms. A chain-link fence prevents anyone from walking beyond the Café midspan.
“There’s just not a whole lot you can do about that,” said Jim Grant. “Time and the elements are going to take their toll on everything. It’s going to take its toll on us. It’s going to take its toll on the pier as well.”
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Grant has made a hobby of photographing the pier.
The City of San Diego secured $8.4 million for the current project and to investigate the feasibility and cost of a more elaborate repair or replacement in the future. Repairing the two piles will only cost roughly $450,000.
“If they tear it down, they’re not going to put one up,” said a skeptical Rodger Smith. “They’ll use the money elsewhere.”
“I think that this is a really good solution as a stop-gap to let them move forward into figuring out a long-term solution,” said Grant.
A city spokesman said the scaffolding might take upwards of two weeks to construct. He said repairs should take about eight weeks but ultimately will depend on the weather. He added the entire OB Pier should reopen once those repairs are completed.
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“The quicker they can get this taken care of and get it open back up again, people will start gravitating back to Ocean Beach again,” concluded Grant.
