"We have exposed infrastructure across the entire California coast, and it's going to be ... stressed by the impacts of climate change, whether it's changes in storm patterns, frequency and magnitude or sea level," said Patrick Barnard, research director for the Climate Impacts and Coastal Processes Team at the U.S. Geological Survey.
At least 10 of the state's dozens of coastal public piers were closed for part or all of 2024 due to structural damage sustained in winter storms over the last two years. At least five more have longer-term upgrade plans to address structural issues.
The city determined that continuing to repair the current pier as city officials planned for its replacement was no longer feasible. Instead, the pier will remain closed until the city completes the $8 million-plus, multiyear replacement project.
While the coastal structures have occasionally succumbed to the ocean's power throughout the years, the aging structures now face increasingly dynamic and unpredictable storms and often expensive and delayed upgrade projects.
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