White Rock Pier to reopen to the public this morning after extensive repairs

After many months of engineering analysis and major reconstruction work, the iconic White Rock Pier is set to reopen to the public this morning at 11 am.

See also:

• Repaired White Rock Pier to reopen this Labour Day long weekend
• White Rock pier rebuild could cost over $16 million
• Volunteers pledge to help raise $2 million to help repair White Rock pier
• BC pledging $1 million to help repair iconic White Rock pier
• Vancouver Park Board approves new $16-million Jericho Pier

The City of White Rock initially established Saturday, the start of the Labour Day long weekend, but all required work ahead of the reopening was completed ahead of schedule.

A large section of the pier that was damaged and severed by the December 20, 2018 storm was reconstructed with steel piles, a concrete deck, and timber planks that match the older two portions of the pier that did not collapse.

White Rock Pier reconstruction design – concrete and steel structure. (City of White Rock)

Some of the remaining aesthetic fixtures — arch and light replacements — will be installed in late October.

The new structural design of the rebuilt sections follow the latest building codes, providing much of the pier with better protection against earthquakes and future storms. The cost for these initial repair works was approximately $3.5 million.

Future reconstruction phases completed over the next two years will completely replace the remaining old timber pier segments with the new steel pile and precast concrete structure design standard.

Reconstruction work on the White Rock Pier on August 1, 2019. (City of White Rock webcam)

The municipal government has approved $16.2 million in total post-windstorm pier repairs, with the vast majority of the cost covered by the city’s insurance on the old structure.

For the remaining costs not covered by insurance, the provincial government has committed $1 million towards the project and another $2 million is outstanding and needs to be fundraised.

The first pier in the area was built in 1914 as a dock for the coastal steamships that arrived when the Great Northern Railway began operation, and the existing 470-metre-long structure was constructed about 70 years later.

A grand reopening celebration will also be held on Saturday, September 21.