The Santa Cruz Pier reopened to tourists and businesses on Saturday, less than two weeks after the pier collapsed more than 100 feet into the sea under waves from a powerful storm.
“We want the community, people from all over Northern California, to know that it’s safe to come to our pier,” Mayor Fred Keeley said during the weekend’s reopening ceremony.
Dangerous high waves from a series of atmospheric river events that hit Northern California, Oregon and Washington last month washed away about 150 feet along the edge of the pier.
Due to heavy rains and storms over the past two years, the end of the pier had already been closed off for renovation work. Last month’s waves destroyed construction equipment and a toilet building, city officials said.
Three construction workers, the project manager and construction director, fell into the sea when the pier collapsed. Two people were rescued by lifeguards, and one was able to climb out, city officials said.
Video posted on social media showed parts of the pier floating in the water. The city immediately closed the pier.
Mr Keeley said safety experts inspected the pier “from start to finish, wall to wall, end to end” and used marine sonar equipment to ensure the pier was “sound and safe” for visitors and merchants. He said he confirmed that.
Infrastructure advisory firm Moffat & Nichol completed a structural and sonar assessment of the city’s piers in the weeks following the collapse, “confirming that the structure remains sound.” The city is asking residents to report any pier-related debris they see.
Santa Cruz’s pier attracts between 1.5 million and 2 million people each year, but the collapse raises questions about whether it should be rebuilt as city officials estimate more damaging storms are on the way amid climate change. It is occurring.
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