The Pacifica pier will soon reopen following king tide and storm damage repair

(Photo via Wikipedia)

The Pacifica Pier has been closed since it was damaged in January as a result of King Tide and storm waves, and the popular fishing destination is finally set to reopen on Friday April 2 according to the City of Pacifica website.

A structural engineering firm conducted a safety study of the pier and found it safe to reopen the portion of the pier that runs perpendicular to the shore, the city said in a press release. However, the section at the farthest end of the pier that runs parallel to the shorline will remain closed—a A 41-foot long concrete railing remains broken from the Pier deck.

The city will need to seek funding through grants, the state, or other sources to repair it, according to the press release. The goal is to repair the railing within the next year.

The City of Pacifica leases the land underneath the Pier from the State of California. Based on a lease agreement signed by the City with the State in 1971, the City is responsible for maintenance of the Pier. The City spends approximately $60,000 annually to maintain the Pier. Since 2017, the City has spent approximately $300,000 on six capital maintenance projects, not including the most recent maintenance project to fix a hole that formed between the Pier’s north abutment footing and the existing metal sheet pile. The final cost for this recent repair is anticipated to be $250,000 to $300,000.

Located in Pacifica's Sharp Park neighborhood, the Rev. Herschell Harkins Memorial Pier (a.k.a. the Pacifica Municipal Pier) was built in 1973 and designed in part to serve as the support structure for the city’s now-obsolete sewer outfall line. The 1,140 feet long “L” shape pier has been closed for repairs and re-opened several times over the last decade or so.