Quick Take
The Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf will reopen on Saturday following a nearly two-week closure after huge waves caused the end of the pier to collapse on Dec. 23.
The City of Santa Cruz said it will reopen the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf on Saturday, after nearly two weeks of a full closure. The final 150 feet of the wharf collapsed into the ocean on Dec. 23, causing three workers to fall in and large amounts of debris to flow down the county coastline.
A City of Santa Cruz news release on Thursday said that the wharf has been considered safe to reopen following a sonar scan and engineering assessment. City Manager Matt Huffaker said in the release that the scan located the three pieces of heavy construction equipment that had fallen into the ocean.
“A skiff washed up on the beach and is secure, and the crane and skid steer are currently in the ocean at a safe distance from the wharf and will be tagged tomorrow with a buoy to alert others of the locations,” he said.
The U.S. Coast Guard reviewed the scan’s findings and confirmed that the crane is sitting about 160 feet away from the collapsed part of the wharf, which is considered a safe distance away. The agency said the crane is “stuck at this time and not moving around.”
Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Director Tony Elliot said in the release that engineering consulting firm Moffatt & Nichol completed the engineering assessment and did not find any structural damage to the wharf beyond the area that collapsed. The rest of the wharf still has the same strength as it did before the huge swells, Elliot said in the release. He noted that three of the wharf’s substructures did sustain damage, but that those are located at the end of the wharf in the section that is closed to the public.
The city will host a ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday at the wharf stage area, which will be open to the public and feature statements from city leaders. Cars will not be allowed past Marini’s Candies on Saturday, which means that drivers will have to turn around at the east parking lot. Stagnaro Bros. will be accessible on foot only.
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