Jericho Pier reopens more than 3 years after storm decimated structure
83-year-old pier in Vancouver's Westside was recommended to be removed, but park board voted for repair
The Vancouver Park Board announced Friday that the 83-year-old wooden pier at Jericho Beach has been reopened after extensive repair and restoration work.
Jericho Beach Park's pier had been heavily damaged by strong winds and high tides in November 2021 and January 2022, and was closed soon after.
In September 2023, park board staff released a report recommending the removal of the pier, saying a rebuilt pier would risk being damaged again, due extreme climate events. It also said that its removal would be an opportunity for reconciliation with local First Nations.
However, the elected park board voted instead to conduct a like-for-like repair on the pier, which was first built in 1942.
Jericho Beach Park's historic wooden pier has reopened to the public following repairs and restoration work.<br><br>The pier was closed in early 2022, following severe damage caused by coastal storms. In 2023, the Board directed staff to conduct like-for-like repairs on the pier... 1/2 <a href="https://t.co/nLxu2MWk33">pic.twitter.com/nLxu2MWk33</a>
—@ParkBoardAt the time, the like-for-like repair was estimated to cost $1.7 million, but an insurance claim from the damage would mean the city only had to pay $350,000.
The greatest financial barrier for a like-for-like repair, according to the staff report, would be the maintenance costs of inspecting the pier each year and, in case of damage, repairing it. Staff estimated that would take between $100,000 and $2.35 million annually.
"This vulnerability is forecast to increase in light of climate change effects," said the staff report about expected sea level rise and an increase in the frequency of storm surges.
"The useful life of a like-for-like repair may very well be shortened by these continued storm events."
The pier at Jericho Beach, on Vancouver's Westside, was a popular place to fish and take in views over the Burrard Inlet and the downtown skyline, as well as a place for marine rescue vessels to dock.
Park board commissioners cited its nostalgic value, as a place for families to gather over the years, in approving the repair option, but said they were not ruling out an eventual complete rebuild of the pier.
The park board said in a Friday social media post that a new float would be installed at the pier by the end of June.
It said temporary fencing would remain around the pier this weekend due to the Vancouver T100 triathlon world tour race happening at the beach.
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With files from Janella Hamilton and Chad Pawson