Demolition is now underway on the Oceanside Pier following the April 25 fire that burned the former Ruby's Diner and the end of the pier.
"We're in the very early stages of demolition," said Brian Thomas, the city engineer for Oceanside. "We're taking down the heavy steel portion of the building and we're still installing the debris containment underneath."
He says once the steel beams of the old diner are removed, debris haul away will begin.
"We'll be cleaning up everything off the deck. Once the deck is cleared, they'll start removing the deck and the rest of the railing around it," he said. "Then we'll be able to finish up our structural analysis."
As crews prepared a platform underneath the pier to catch debris and protect the ocean, Thomas said they saw the damage looked worse than they thought, and areas they originally thought were safe "are a little chancy at this point. We do know that underneath the building itself, most of the stringers are gone at this point."
Stringers are the beams that connect and support the pier and are critical to its stability.
"So in an abundance of caution for worker protection, marine (mammal) protection, and beach users' protection ... we're keeping people out of those areas," he said. "We're in the process of adding additional shoring so that we can actually bring it (debris) down safely."
In the coming weeks, trucks will begin to haul the debris from the pier. That won't cause any closures, just added precautions.
"(Crews) will have a spotter in front of the equipment and a spotter behind the equipment. So if you see vehicles moving, please step to one side, allow the vehicles to pass and then continue with your day," Thomas said.
The pier is a popular fishing spot. Staff are asking fishermen to pull their poles closer to the railing, to give enough space for visitors walking the pier and for trucks hauling the debris. This will allow for continued access to the pier, even while the work is going on.
Frequent pier fisherman Sebastian Nava said he appreciates that the city reopened part of the pier just weeks after the fire.
"We thought it was going to be closed for years. We thought they were going to close the whole thing down so they could tear everything down. But they didn't. They allowed us to come fish. People. .. locals ... and tourism came back on. So that was pretty cool," Nava said.
He sees new opportunities for the Oceanside Pier. "Just to open like a shady spot, a shady area, have a big deck ... maybe extend it ... almost like a picnic area," he suggested. "Just something to have for views and for fishing."
Insurance is covering the $1.3 million cost for the demolition which crews are expected to finish by the end of this year.
Once that’s done, staff will begin to prepare plans, apply for permits, and have an estimated cost of the rebuild.
It could be three to four years before the Oceanside Pier is fully rebuilt and open to the public.
