$1-Million Reconstruction of Pier at Aliso Beach Receives OK

The $1-million reconstruction of Aliso Beach Pier and the demolition of the smaller Treasure Island Pier nearby have been approved by the state Coastal Commission.

Both piers took heavy batterings in the storms of 1983 and 1986 and during heavy surf last June.

The diamond-shaped end of the 600-foot Aliso Beach Pier in the southern part of Laguna Beach has been closed for almost a year.

“We’ve had many complaints from fishermen,” said Ralph Hudson, manager of design for the county’s Harbors, Beaches and Parks Department, “but that portion of the pier, which is all concrete reinforced by steel, has developed numerous longitudinal cracks, so we had to close it off for safety reasons.”

The shoreward part of the pier and the snack bar remain open.

Hudson said it cost only $600,000 to build the pier 18 years ago, but now it will cost $1 million for repairs. County funds and a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Wildlife Conservation Board will pay for the work, he said.

It would cost an estimated $2.5 million to replace the entire structure, he added.

Divers have found the underwater portions of pilings not as badly damaged as upper portions. Bids for the restoration job are expected to be sought soon. Hudson said work will start in late spring.

The Treasure Island Pier half a mile up the coast was built of steel pilings with a concrete deck in the early 1950s, and originally was 115 feet long, according to Treasure Island Trailer Park spokeswoman Fran Spurlock.

The small fishing and recreation pier, below the trailer park at 30801 S. Coast Highway, once had a hoist to launch small boats. It suffered during the same storms that hit the Aliso Beach Pier, finally losing its seaward half to last June’s pounding.

“It’s just falling apart and creates a hazard for anyone who goes near it,” Spurlock said. It hasn’t been determined when demolition will begin, and there are no plans to replace it.