IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) – Progress is underway on the Imperial Beach Pier and surrounding areas as efforts continue to draw visitors despite ongoing sewage issues that have closed nearby beaches.
"IB Pier is one of the Port of San Diego's piers we own it we maintain it and we basically want to make it the nicest pier in San Diego. We’ve been doing a lot of work on it the last couple of years," Dan Malcolm, the Port Commissioner of San Diego, said. "We spent $2.5 million refreshing it, doing an artistic shade structure, painting it. We put placards out, railing, refreshing the pier. For residents and visitors, this is a central area where they come."
The Port Commissioner said looking up the coast past San Diego and down to Mexico is what makes this pier special. The pier was built in 1963, and at the time, it was 1,200 feet. Fishing has been a common attraction here throughout the years.
"As a piece of ocean infrastructure, there are always things to be done. We’ll continue to monitor, we’ll redo planking and look at other projects to make the pier attractive to people," Malcolm said.
By 2026, the port hopes to bring a splash pad to the area at the base of the pier. That project is estimated to cost another $1.5 million.
