The bridge that connects Ocean Avenue to Santa Monica's pier--the one on which vehicular traffic is allowed and teeming crowds of pedestrians and cyclists vie for space on the narrow sidewalks--could meet the wrecking ball soon, reports the Santa Monica Daily Press. A recent report found the bridge, built in 1939, structurally deficient and eligible for federal funds that would pay for its replacement. City officials think Uncle Sam will foot most of the bill--$7 million of the $8 million cost. Preliminary plans call for a wider bridge that's seismically reinforced, though there's talk of closing the bridge off to vehicles and converting the parking lot off of the bridge "into something else," Councilman Richard Bloom told the SMDP, adding that using the pier to park cars "just seems to me to not be its highest and best use." Another idea is to close the north sidewalk and widen the south sidewalk to 16 feet. The hope is work would begin around 2012 or 2013 and wrap the following year. [Image by mcooper629]
· Plans Afoot for Pier Bridge [SMDP]
Filed under:
Loading comments...