It is full speed ahead on initial planning to replace the iconic Ocean Beach Pier creating an updated regional landmark to last up to a century.

A best-case scenario would be to have construction on a new structurally modern pier likely costing upwards of $100 million beginning before the end of 2026, with completion by mid-2028.

It will be a new pier for a new age, said OB resident and OB Pier Task Force member Mark Winkie.

“The mayor has formed a task force of about a dozen City engineers, consultants, and other stakeholders to design usable public space areas on a new pier,” he said. “We will be scheduling a series of public workshops to find out what people want to see in a new, re-imagined pier.

“You don’t want a pier with a bunch of rusted rebar and concrete sticking out of the water in OB, which is what will happen if nothing is done. The City has the responsibility of taking this pier and, following the will of the people, building a beautiful, brand-new structure that everyone can be proud of.”

“These types of flagship projects take time to do, there are a lot of moving parts,” pointed out structural engineer Ralph Teyssier, whose 95-year-old father, Leonard, was the contractor who built the original OB Pier dedicated in July 1966.

If all goes well, Teyssier estimated new pier construction “could begin as soon as November 2026 and be completed by May 2028.” But he added, “There are a lot of things that need to take place before the project can come to fruition.”

City spokesperson Tyler Becker said the OB Pier Replacement Project is in the preliminary engineering/planning phase. “Late last year, the City hired consultant Moffatt & Nichol to provide preliminary engineering services, assessments, studies, and research grant funding opportunities, as well as work directly with an OB Community Task Force and conduct community outreach in an effort to develop the preferred alternative(s) to replace the pier,” Becker said adding Moffatt & Nichol’s contract also includes services to permit the project environmentally, as well as to prepare bridging contract documents to assist the City in procuring a design-build firm to eventually design and construct the new pier.

Becker added the project is currently only funded for this initial preliminary engineering/planning phase, while funding for the final design and construction has yet to be identified.

Winkie said plans for the new OB Pier will go beyond just serving the needs of anglers. “Basically, the old pier was a fishing pier,” he noted. “The idea now is to create a pier that is much more of a regional park resource that has open spaces, and access for people who are physically challenged and can’t get out into the marine environment. We are also planning to have an interpretive center, and possibly a museum, which would talk about the history of the pier.”

Teyssier said there are superior techniques – and materials – available to build a long-lasting, 21st-century pier in OB this time around.

“Under the direction of (consultants) Moffat & Nichol, we will come up with a general design, and then the contractors will take that design and complete it with the best means and methods of construction,” the engineer said. “This is not only a unique structure to build but also a challenging one due to the high surf and rising sea levels.”

Noting the design-build process for pier replacement could work from the ocean back to the shore, or vice versa, Teyssier pointed out “there has been a lot of improvement in concrete technology over the years making it more workable, durable and less permeable (water absorbent) with a quicker set time” to help prevent cracking and erosion. He added salt, which builds up on the pier over time, is a major problem to be contended with as “it is really not friendly with concrete.” He added it is necessary to change the admixture of materials that go into making the concrete to reinforce it and give it longer longevity.

Added Teyssier, “We also need to use higher steel strength in the pier than we saw before when the original pier was built, plus we need to go with a higher elevation for the new pier to accommodate rising ocean levels.”

“The broader picture is, how do we create a master plan for a new pier that ties everything together in one comprehensive vision with the look and feel of the beach all the way past the lifeguard tower,” concluded Winkie. “The pier is going to be the keystone, the cornerstone, in re-envisioning the image we want for Ocean Beach.”

OCEAN BEACH TASK FORCE FOR PIER REPLACEMENT

The task force includes a group of volunteer community members nominated by Ocean Beach Planning Board, Ocean Beach Town Council, and Ocean Beach MainStreet Association. There are also representatives from the mayor’s office and Council District 2, including City staff from the Strategic Capital Projects Department.

The task force will be working closely with consultants Moffatt & Nichol to develop the preferred pier replacement alternative(s), and assisting with community outreach to get input on pier replacement. Presently, the City and the task force are planning for public outreach this spring. There are multiple phases the project needs to go through such as preliminary engineering/planning, CEQA/NEPA permitting, other regional agency permits, design and construction.

The goal is to develop the full scope of a preferred pier replacement alternative(s), address community interest, and climate change, and be competitive for federal and state grant opportunities. The preliminary engineering/planning phase is anticipated to be complete by fall 2023. After the preferred pier replacement alternative(s) is fully scoped, a complete project delivery schedule and detailed total project cost estimate will be prepared.

Photo by Jim Grant