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Bridge to Santa Monica Pier to be Replaced, is 'Structurally Deficient and Functionally Obsolete'
Photo by R. E. ~ via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr
Now that city councilmembers have banned smoking on the Santa Monica Pier, up next is replacing the 1939-built bridge that connects to Ocean Avenue, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. The project would cost an estimated $8 million, but the cast-strapped city, which has placed a sales tax measure on the November ballot to recoup some money, may get $7 million in federal funding. A recent inspection found the bridge to be "structurally deficient and functionally obsolete," scoring a "sufficiency rating" of 30.6 out of 100, making it eligible to receive funds under the Highway Bridge Program
The project would start in the 2012-13 fiscal year and be completed in 2014. While many expect the new bridge to be similar to the current one -- but wider to better accommodate cars, bicycles and pedestrians -- one councilmember says maybe a pedestrian only one should be examined. "[The pier is] one of Santa Monica's signature resources, and using it to park cars just seems to me to not be its highest and best use."
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