Shoring Up 2 Landmarks Along the O.C. Coastline

Newport Beach’s two landmark piers are about to get their most extensive face-lifts in 60 years, as workers replace both decks in hopes of protecting the structures against pounding waves that proved too tough for some neighboring piers.

The Newport and Balboa piers have been battered by decades of heavy surf, to the point that engineers said both structures could suffer fatal blows in the event of a major storm. While the piers are still safe for public use, officials said immediate repairs are needed to protect the structures for the next 20 years.

The city will spend nearly $3 million to replace the boardwalks of each pier, painstakingly removing battered concrete and weathered wood. Some eroded piling also will be replaced.

Each pier will be closed for about a month during the most intense phases of construction. The Balboa Pier will be closed for much of January and Newport Pier will be closed in February.

The piers are “suffering big time,” said Lloyd Dalton, design engineer for the city who is supervising the work. “With all the deterioration and pounding from the ocean they have taken over the years, they’re not nearly as strong as they were in 1940.”

Waves are not the only thing threatening the piers. Ship worms and limnoria, wood-eating insects, have found their way into the timber. Trucks driving across the boardwalk to deliver food and supplies to restaurants at the piers’ ends are also undermining the wood-and-concrete supports.

Both piers were built in 1940. The current Newport Pier replaced the famed McFadden’s Wharf, a center of pre-World War II commerce that was bisected by trolley-car tracks. The area around the pier was a top fishing spot, and the trolley brought produce, food and other goods.

The wharf was destroyed on Sept. 24, 1939, when a tropical storm with 60-mph winds and 30-foot waves smashed through.

The old Balboa Pier--built in 1906 to lure residents to the then-deserted spot--was also destroyed by the same storm.

They’ve stood up to much pounding since 1940, faring better than others along the coast.

The Seal Beach Pier was severely damaged during the 1983 El Nino storms and had to be rebuilt. A 1998 storm destabilized the Aliso Pier in South Laguna Beach. County officials demolished the pier but said there wasn’t enough money to rebuild it.

“Typically, when these piers are damaged, the wave heights exceed the design waves and they start hitting the main structure of the pier as opposed to the piles,” said McCarthy, an engineer with Moffatt & Nichol Engineers, a national firm that specializes in waterfront structures.

Both piers have wood superstructures, which support cement decks. The decks are cracking and will be pulled out. Workers will also replace the eroded wood bracing and metal bolts that connect the decks to the structures.

The city will use its portion of the settlement from the 1990 American Trader oil spill to pay for the repairs.

When the work is complete, the city will take steps to protect from further damage. Trucks heavier than 3.8 tons will be prohibited from using the piers to deliver goods to the restaurants. Currently, trucks up to 5 tons are allowed to use the deck for deliveries.

The city is also going to be more diligent about enforcing these rules.

“We have been a little lax in policing that,” Dalton said.