By Lookout Staff

July 30, 2026 -- It took one day, instead of eight, to tear down a portion of the Pier Bridge over Appian Way, allowing the roadway that provides access to the south side of the Pier parking lot to reopen Tuesday, City officials said.

The closure was expected to last through August 3, but "thanks to an innovative alternative construction approach, demolition was completed significantly ahead of schedule," City officials announced Wednesday.

"Rather than using the saw-cutting method employed in other areas of the bridge, the contractor (Shimmick Construction Company, Inc.) utilized two hydraulic breakers to complete demolition" of the section north of Seaside Terrace.

"This approach substantially accelerated construction activities while maintaining safety, allowing crews to restore access much sooner than originally anticipated," City officials said.

The demolition is part of the initial phase of the $35.6 million project to replace the existing 87-year-old bridge that connects Ocean and Colorado avenues to the Pier, which will remain open during the two-year project.

Construction crews began preparing in December for the project, which included installing a temporary pedestrian bridge that opened on June 5 and a temporary vehicle access ramp in the Pier parking lot for emergency and delivery vehicles.

Demolition will continue until August of next year, followed by construction of the new bridge scheduled to be completed in December.

The Pier Bridge Replacement Project -- which is largely bankrolled with federal funds -- is taking place three decades after the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) deemed the structure “structurally deficient” and “functionally obsolete.”

Caltrans found that the bridge built in 1939 has inadequate seismic strength, its sidewalks and lanes are too narrow and the angle too steep for wheelchairs and bicycles to cross safely.

The new structure, which meets modern seismic and safety standards, will include a 15-foot sidewalk on the south side of the bridge and a 20-foot roadway for bicycles and vehicles that will maintain one traffic lane in each direction.

The project is expected to be completed "well ahead" of the 2028 Summer Olympics and have a service life of 75 years, officials said.

Shimmick Construction Company, Inc., which was awarded a $35,579,292 contract last September, was one of four companies that submitted bids after 323 vendors downloaded the City's bid data.

The company, which has built water related projects across California, was the lowest bidder and was determined to be "the most qualified based on bid price."

The company has the "ability, capacity, and skill to complete the project within the specified timeframe" and has a "reputation and experience in successfully completing previous bridge projects," City staff wrote in recommending Shimmick.