The Imperial Beach Pier is closed due to reports of structural damage, the Port of San Diego confirmed Tuesday.
The city of Imperial Beach informed the port at about 6:30 p.m. Monday that a piling from the pier could be seen floating in the water. Due to the apparent structural damage, Imperial Beach lifeguards closed the pier to the public. The pile break appears to have occurred between light posts 15 and 16.
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The port's engineering department and consultants were working to assess the extent of the damage and determine the pier's structural integrity. Due to the high surf that will affect the region for several more days, the team couldn't get below the pier to look at the damage or locate and remove the broken piling, port officials said.
Ernie Medina is the Port of San Diego’s chief engineer and hopes to be able to safely make an assessment as soon as Thursday.
“It’s tough any time you get an iconic piece of infrastructure that you have to shut down, but we’re always going to side on the side of caution ... we don’t want anyone to get hurt and we want to make sure that we address this as soon and as safely as possible,” Medina said.
The pier will remain closed until the structural engineering team confirms it is safe for the public, which could take up to two weeks. In addition to the pier closure, the public is urged to steer clear of the waters near the pier until the broken piling can be found and pulled out of the water.
“Any time we have a rough environment with some infrastructure we put in, it’s going to be the environment versus the infrastructure and sometimes the environment wins,” Medina said.
The eastern part of the IB Pier, where the damage occurred, is made up of timber and was built in the 1960s and the western portion, made up of steel was built in 1989.
Several people on Wednesday were admiring the closed pier from a distance, including Alan Aegerter who’s been an Imperial Beach resident for over 60 years.
“If you look around and see the development that Imperial Beach has done over the last 15, 10 years, it’s all around the pier. A lot of economy, a lot of new houses. It’s a pretty big deal,” Aegerter said.
Dane Bolding, a 30-year resident of Imperial Beach and surfer, said fellow surfers frequent the waves near the pier because of the cleaner water and decent waves.
When asked what the pier means to Imperial Beach, Bolding said, “It’s the main focus. Whenever anybody comes to Imperial Beach, this is the iconic place that they want to go. It’s where people gather. You make memories, whether it’s fishing or surfing. It’s classic, iconic Imperial Beach.”
He happened to be nearby the night the piling fell off the pier.
“It’s a bummer, it’s broke. But it’s not the first time. I hope it brings awareness in the community that we need to invest in the iconic pieces of Imperial Beach and focus our money on areas that serve the public,” he said.
Residents say it would be a huge loss to the Imperial Beach community if the pier permanently closed.
“It’d be like losing a family member. That pier has been here ever since I was a little boy,” Aegerter said.
The port will release additional information as it becomes available and keep the public posted on when the pier may reopen.
