Contractors will begin construction this month on repairs to the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, which are likely to continue through February, weather permitting.
The work focuses on the southern tip of the structure, an area that has been closed since sustaining heavy storm damage over the past two winters. That section broke off in December 2024, sending an engineer and a project manager into the water. The collapse contributed to restaurants losing hundreds of thousands of dollars during the normally busy holiday period last year.
The repairs are timed for the quieter season to reduce impacts on wharf businesses, tourists and protected bird species. All businesses along the wharf will remain open during construction, and the public will still have access to shops and restaurants.
The repairs are part of a broader, phased restoration effort. Earlier this year, the Santa Cruz City Council approved a $1 million plan to rebuild and repair damaged areas and partially extend a new platform from the jagged edge left by the collapse.
While more than 15,000 square feet of the wharf was lost from the storm in 2024, about 1,100 square feet will be added back to the southern section of the wharf, complete with the original sea lion viewing hole.
Most pilings remain although some are damaged. Once the interim work concludes, visitors will be able to reach the very end of the wharf.
Check here for more information on wharf operations and updates.
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