Tag: Santa Monica Pier Bridge

SANTA MONICA—On April 12, the city of Santa Monica posted on its Facebook page that the existing Colorado Avenue vehicle ramp is now closed to vehicular traffic for the duration of the project.

Crews have opened a temporary vehicle access ramp on the southwest side of the Pier for emergency and delivery vehicles.

Pedestrians access will remain open until the anticipated completion of the temporary pedestrian bridge in early summer.

Pier businesses are open and ready to welcome residents and visitors. For more details visit: www.santamonica.gov – Pier Bridge Improvements.

 

By Danny Jones

SANTA MONICA—On Tuesday, February 17, the city of Santa Monica posted on its Facebook page that construction on the new Santa Monica Pier Bridge continues. From now through Friday, February 27, the Moomat Ahiko Way off-ramp from southbound Pacific Coast Highway will be temporarily closed to allow crews to build the foundation for a temporary pedestrian bridge.

Crews are constructing a temporary pedestrian bridge and vehicle ramp to maintain access to the Pier during construction. Access to the Pier and Pier businesses will remain open during construction.

Santa Monica is replacing the iconic Santa Monica Pier Bridge, which serves as the only vehicular and a key pedestrian connection between Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Pier, one of the city’s most popular destinations.

Originally constructed in 1939, the 86-year-old bridge no longer meets modern structural or seismic standards. To improve long-term safety, access, and mobility, the city is moving forward with a federally funded replacement project that will deliver a new, seismically sound structure with improved features, including a 15-foot-wide sidewalk to enhance the experience for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The replacement bridge will preserve the character and scenic views of the historic route while addressing critical structural deficiencies. Construction is underway and is expected to be completed before the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

To learn more information visit: www.santamonica.gov/pierbridge.

 

By Danny Jones

SANTA MONICA—On Tuesday, December 9, the city of Santa Monica announced on its website that construction is officially underway on the long-anticipated project to replace and upgrade the 86-year-old Santa Monica Pier Bridge.

Construction crews are mobilizing onsite and staging equipment this week and next week to start early fieldwork and site preparation for the Pier Bridge Replacement Project. Initial activities will include potholing and utility work, as well as widening and strengthening portions of the Pier in advance of bridge demolition and construction.

Pier restaurants, shops and entertainment, as well as parking and visitor access, will remain open and accessible throughout construction, ensuring residents and visitors can continue to enjoy the Pier with minimal disruption.

Approximately one-third of the parking lot area at Beach Parking Lot 1 North, adjacent to the Pier, will be used as the construction staging area. Approximately 726 parking spaces will remain available at Beach Parking Lot 1 during construction. Wayfinding signage is being installed to direct drivers to multiple alternate parking locations near the Pier.

Construction is expected to continue through the end of 2027.

Approximate project timeline overview:

-January 2026 – Pier Sign removal for rehabilitation
-January-April 2026 – Temporary vehicle and pedestrian ramp installation
-May-August 2026 – Bridge demolition
-August 2026-December 2027 – Bridge construction
-July 2027 – Pier Sign reinstallation
-July-October 2027 – Remove temporary vehicle and pedestrian bridge, restore Parking Lot 1 North
-December 2027 – Project completion

Business and visitor access:

With construction underway, and expected to last approximately 2 years, temporary access improvements will keep the Pier welcoming and easy to navigate ahead of the bridge demolition in mid-2026:

-A temporary pedestrian bridge will connect visitors from Ocean Avenue to the Pier
-A temporary vehicular ramp will maintain access to the Pier from the beach parking lot for emergency vehicles, deliveries, and public parking
-A comprehensive wayfinding and signage program will guide visitors during construction

The bridge was built in 1939, and the Pier Bridge connects Ocean Avenue and Colorado Avenue to the Santa Monica Pier. The project will construct a new bridge that is seismically upgraded, more accessible and designed to serve residents, visitors and businesses for decades to come – well ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The new bridge will:

-Meet modern seismic and safety standards
-Provide a 75-year service life
-Expand sidewalks to improve pedestrian access
-Realign walkways on the Pier deck to improve circulation

For additional details and updates on the Pier Bridge Replacement Project visit: https://www.santamonica.gov/programs/pier-bridge-improvements.

 

By Danny Jones

SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica City Council’s approved an environmental impact report at a regular meeting on June 13 that will allow the Pier Bridge replacement project to continue.

According to Omeed Pour, a civil engineer and project manager for the city of Santa Monica, the Pier Bridge is an “important asset” for pedestrians to access the Santa Monica Pier. 

“The bridge attracts something around 10 million people every year to our pier, and 95% of them, so 9.5 million people, use the Pier Bridge to get down to the Pier,” said Pour.

In an environmental report, Pour detailed the viable design options to replace the 84-year-old Pier Bridge, which shows signs of wear.

The bridge’s structure is inspected annually by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works to ensure safety. In a recent inspection conducted on March 14, 2022, the bridge was rated at 8.2 out of 100 in terms of seismic sufficiency. The deck and the superstructure have also been rated poorly. 

Images in the environmental report showed visible cracking cement under the bridge. According to Pour, all viable design options for the bridge’s replacement will have a “75-year design life” which will be structurally sound and ensure safe access for people visiting the pier. 

Restoring the bridge has been a decades-long effort. Santa Monica began trying to replace the bridge in the 1990s, but the project failed when federal funding fell through. The project was picked back up in 2006 as a rehabilitation project, but Caltrans decided that completely replacing the bridge would be a more appropriate way to use funding due to the bridge’s aged condition. 

The official replacement project began in 2010, and eight possible alternatives have been researched since.

In August 2010, the cost of building a new Pier Bridge was an estimated $8 million. By 2021, the cost escalated to $27,225,000.

The challenges for the project continue. A total of $27 million comes from Federal Highway Bridge Program funding. This means every part of the project must be approved by Caltrans.

The bridge is also surrounded by historic and cultural resources as well as scenic corridors including the Palisades Park, the pier sign, the Hippodrome building, Carousel Park, and the Pier deck. Preserving these areas limits design options.

Some of the original eight alternatives would’ve included an elevator, but it was found that it may have adverse effects on the Hippodrome located adjacent to the Pier. Due to environmental impacts, the number of possible alternatives for the bridge has dwindled down to two.

Both alternatives feature a design similar to the current bridge with a wider sidewalk to increase efficiency. In Alternative #1, the bridge would feature a 15-foot sidewalk on the North side, as opposed to the current 9.5-foot sidewalk. 

The preferred Alternative #2 would feature a 15-foot sidewalk on the South side to give more visibility to businesses and reduce the “conflict of pedestrians and vehicles.” It would also include shifting the Pier’s sign 10 feet to the North and raising it 3 feet to reduce the risk of cars hitting the sign.  

The Santa Monica City Council motioned to unanimously approve the Environmental Quality Act report.

June will mark the beginning of the finalized bridge design. The bridge is predicted to begin construction in 2025 and be completed by 2027 in time for the 2028 Olympics.  

By Paige Strickland