SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego fully reopened the Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach Monday — 18 months after the public portion of the pier closed in December 2023 due to damage from several storms.
The shuttered portion, beyond the Crystal Pier Hotel, underwent extensive stabilization work.
"The iconic Crystal Pier will once again be open to the public thanks to the collaborative and dedicated efforts of city staff and Bill and Claudia Allen from the Crystal Pier Hotel," said San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava. "While the pier is open and structurally sound, work will continue to strengthen its resilience against rising tides and increasingly intense storms."
The first phase of emergency construction work on the nearly 100-year old pier began in January 2024, when crews replaced dozens of damaged or broken braces supporting the wooden structure. Those repairs were completed in May 2024.
While that work was underway, choppy waves damaged or broke eight of the pier piles. A second phase of emergency work to repair or replace those piles began in late 2024 and finished in March 2025. Following the completion of that emergency construction, crews shifted their focus to non-emergency work to repair and replace remaining braces that were damaged, a city statement read.
All of the above work was focused on the publicly-owned portions of the pier. The easternmost half of the wider section of the pier is owned by the Crystal Pier Hotel and any repairs in that section are the responsibility of the property owner.
According to the city, the cost was $2.06 million.
No additional construction is currently planned for the pier, but staff will continue to monitor the structure for any future damage.
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