SAN DIEGO — The Ocean Beach Pier will remain closed to the public as crews assess the damage and make repairs. It's expected to be off limits for weeks, and work might not start until well after the next storm passes.
Those looking to take a stroll along the OB pier might have to wait weeks, maybe even months until the gates get unchained and that's because of the recent ocean swell that saw huge waves hit San Diego's coastline.
“Primarily it's the high surf then the high tide, but when you combine those elements together, the pier is at risk of getting damaged like it was on Friday,” said Lt. Brian Clark with the San Diego Lifeguards. He also adds that the storm damaged some guardrails and electrical wiring.
“Right now people can’t walk out there because the rails are not attached to the pier. And because of the big surf happening now and that’s going to continue people are not going to go out and fix it,” said Clark.
This isn't the first time the OB pier shutdown due to damages, locals have also noticed that past closures discourage visitors and hurt nearby businesses.
The cost of repairs for the pier also seem to keep adding up, in 2019 the pier was shut down for months after it was damaged by another winter storm.
It forced San Diego Public Work Crews to make $430,000 in emergency repairs and recently the city approved a new project to replace the pier, but those plans wont start until 2026 and could cost the city upwards of $80 million to $100 million.
“We are not letting anyone on the pier right now and fixing it, we will look into that with collaboration with other city partners,” said Lt. Clark.
CBS 8 reached out to the city to see when repairs will happen for the pier–in a written statement they said as a result, the city will wait to assess the pier’s condition until after the storm season has passed.
A high surf advisory remains in effect until Wednesday night for all San Diego coastal areas.
Friday and Saturday could see the highest tides and San Diego lifeguard officials say possible damages to the pier could happen again.
WATCH RELATED: Environmental group files lawsuit concerning OB Pier replacement project (Nov. 2022).