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Questions linger around future of Santa Cruz Wharf
Santa Cruz County officials are considering whether it makes sense to rebuild the iconic Santa Cruz Wharf after part of it collapsed into the ocean during a recent storm.
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Santa Cruz officials on Friday said they're working with engineers to study the collapsed wharf to make sure it's strong and stable before they open it to the public.
But no one was able to say with 100% certainty that rebuilding that section of the wharf is feasible, or the appropriate thing to do in light of the recent storms that have battered coastal cities.
"I think that's the question of the day," said city manager Matt Huffaker.
The wharf will be closed indefinitely.
Crews are now trying to go into the ocean and salvage the equipment, including a crane, that fell into the ocean, as well as completing a structural integrity assessment to see if the wharf will ever be safe again.
On Monday, a portion of the Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed and was seen floating away.
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Santa Cruz won't say for sure whether the collapsed wharf will be rebuilt
Santa Cruz officials on Friday said they're working with engineers to study the collapsed wharf to make sure it's strong and stable before they open it to the public.
"I flip around just in time to see sthe splash, of something going in just at the end of the stick," said Santa Cruz lifeguard Sam Hoffman.
The collapse occurred as the area was slammed by heavy surf from a major storm expected to bring hurricane-force winds to the seas off the Pacific Northwest.
Officials noted it was the largest swell seen in Santa Cruz in 30 years, combined with the fact that the section of the wharf that collapsed was being repaired from damage done from storms the previous winter.
Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley told reporters that a section of the wharf was in the middle of a $4 million renovation following destructive storms last winter about 70 miles south of San Francisco.
Tony Elliot, the head of the Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation Department, estimated that about 150 feet from the end of the wharf fell into the water.
Specifically, the damage was relegated to the area where the former Dolphin restaurant once lived. The restaurant was aging and was red-tagged in the 2023 storms.
There was also a public restroom that was destroyed, but it had been non-operable and all the infrastructure had been shut off.
Meanwhile, dangerous waves have continued to batter the Bay Area's coastlines from Santa Cruz to Pacifica.
The National Weather Service forecasts waves reaching 20 to 30 feet high, comparable to the height of a three-story building, through Sunday.