City of Santa Monica releases EIR For Santa Monica Pier bridge replacement
By Dolores Quintana
The City of Santa Monica is considering spending $29 million to replace the bridge connecting the Santa Monica Pier to Ocean Avenue.
The Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Assessment concerning the proposed Santa Monica Pier Bridge replacement has been released for public review and comment which you can view here. You can also view the documents in person at the Santa Monica Main Branch Library, at 601 Santa Monica Boulevard, or the Ocean Park Branch Library, at 2601 Main Street. Public comment is open from September 22, 2022, and 5:30 p.m. on November 10, 2022.
If you would like to send your comments via email, you can address them to Omeed.Pour@santamonica.gov or send them through the post office to this address:
City of Santa Monica
Engineering and Street Services Division,
Attention: Omeed Pour, P.E.
1685 Main St #15, Santa Monica, CA 90401
If you would prefer to comment in person, a meeting with Santa Monica Staff is planned for October 13, 2022, at 6:30 p.m., at Santa Monica Institute (SMI) Training Room, 330 Olympic Drive, Santa Monica, CA 90401
The EIR details three alternative plans:
- Alternative 1 – wider (15’ vs 9′) sidewalk on the north side of the bridge.
- Alternative 2 – wider (15’ vs 9′) sidewalk on the south side of the bridge,
- No Build. The bridge would not be replaced and remain as is.
Of course, Alternative 1 and 2 would replace the bridge with a structure that would be seismically sound and safe into the future, while Alternative 3 would do nothing to fix the state of the Pier Bridge, but would not come with any costs.
When we reached out for comment, Constance Farrell, Communications & Public Information Manager for the City of Santa Monica said, via an emailed statement, “The Pier Bridge Replacement Project has been part of the City’s capital planning since the 1990s. As you know it is a high-traffic and highly utilized community asset. The Pier bridge has outlived its design life cycle and is ready for replacement.”
Farrell added, in response to a question about why the Pier Bridge replacement is happening now, “The mention of the 2028 Olympics is only part of the equation in that we’d like to have construction completed before then; it is not the impetus for the project.”
Finally, Farrell responded to a question about the cost of the Pier Bridge replacement and said, “The project construction cost is currently estimated at $29 million, for both build alternatives.”
