City OKs $2.4 million for overhaul in PB, South Mission Beach

The next step in the long process of replacing the 2.3-mile-long seawall along Ocean Front Walk between Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach on Garnet Avenue to South Mission Beach took place two weeks ago when the City Council voted to authorize $2.4 million in discretionary funds to replace the 87-year-old structure. The wall itself was built in 1925 to replace an existing wooden structure built in 1914. “One of my priorities when I came to office was to make sure the wall was replaced,” said District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer. “I’ve been fighting for dollars from the city to make structural changes to it ever since. I would also like to thank the members of the beach community who have been working side by side with us. I remember when I first came to office and noticed the temporary patches with the exposed rebar.” Faulconer has been spearheading the efforts to replace the crumbling structure ever since. He said the process for the repairs will include a bidding phase, which he believes will be completed by the fall of 2013. This would then be followed by the construction phase that will start with what Faulconer refers to as “the most damaged section of the seawall.” This section is the 960-foot stretch between the public bathrooms next to Belmont Park to Ventura Place by the summer of 2014. “The current seawall is not only a public safety issue but it is also an aesthetic issue, because when people come to visit, we don’t want them to see a crumbling wall,” Faulconer said. “So we want to rebuild, and it will look fantastic.”