Ventura Pier Is Closed Again by Pounding Surf

For the second time in two weeks, the Ventura Pier was closed Monday after enormous waves tore 14 wooden support poles from beneath the planked walkway.

The pounding surf--from 10 to 15 feet high--left two sections of the 122-year-old pier particularly vulnerable to the storm-driven swells expected to hit the Ventura County coast today.

Near shore, only two pilings were left to support a stretch of walkway previously held up by 10 poles.

“I’m concerned,” said John Betonte, maintenance manager for the city of Ventura. “But there’s little you can do about it when the surf’s up. If we get another series of waves in the 12- to 14-foot range, we could have some more damage.”

The roaring surf and the sight of 60-foot pillars snapping like Tinkertoys drew hundreds of gawkers to Ventura’s beachfront promenade.

“It’s kind of mesmerizing,” said Jonathan Youngman, 40, who rode his bike to the beach and stood near three pilings that had washed ashore. “I should be home doing chores, but I just can’t go away.”

Others expressed surprise that the 1,958-foot-long pier was closed again. The structure was shut down Dec. 19 when the first large swell of the winter knocked out 10 wooden supports. A total of 14 were replaced and the pier was reopened last Thursday.

A portion of the pier was restored for $3.5 million in 1993 after being closed for six years.

“If they’d have built it right to begin with, this wouldn’t be happening,” said Tim Beneteau, 30, an oil field mechanic from Ventura.

But city officials said that all wooden piers are susceptible to such damage. The pilings, made from treated Douglas fir, are weakened over time by worms that devour their interiors.