If all goes as planned, the Jericho Pier in West Point Grey could reopen sometime next year.
In a memo earlier this month, Vancouver Park Board staff provided an update on their planning progress after they were directed by Park Board commissioners in September 2023 to pursue an interim “like-for-like” repair of the damaged pier.
The beloved pier at Jericho Beach has been closed since a January 2022 windstorm, which compounded previous storm damage from late 2021.
Since that decision to proceed with a repair, Park Board staff have retained a marine engineering consultant, and a detailed condition assessment was completed on the structure earlier in 2024.
With the assessment done, work on creating detailed repair drawings and specifications is now underway, and an application will be made for in-water construction work.
A marine contractor will be selected through a procurement process. Park Board staff anticipate construction will begin in early 2025 for completion by late 2025 or sooner.
However, the precise construction start date and timeline depend on the federal government’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans permit issuance, the periods of the year when fish species are expected to see the least impact from construction, and the timeline for procuring specialized treated timber products.
Damaged condition of the Jericho Pier after the January 2022 windstorm. (Vancouver Park Board)
Damaged condition of the Jericho Pier after the January 2022 windstorm. (Shutterstock)
Park Board staff stated at the time of the September 2023 decision that this repair would cost $1.7 million, including a 50% contingency for any unexpected costs. After an expected insurance reimbursement of $1.35 million, the municipal government will be on the hook for up to $360,000 of the costs.
In this month’s update, Park Board staff state that the insurance claim process is ongoing and that the insurance reimbursement and available municipal funding combined will still be enough to cover the repair costs.
Park Board staff originally recommended the potentially significantly more expensive option of demolishing the damaged pier without any guarantee that a new replacement pier would be built. However, Park Board commissioners rejected this option in favour of an interim repair to re-establish the popular attraction much sooner rather than later. Much of the structure that exists today was built in 1977.
In 2017, the Park Board approved a design concept for a brand new resilient pier made of concrete and steel, with a far greater height to account for future sea level rises and storms. It was originally estimated to cost about $16 million, but as of last year, the expected cost has crept up to $25 million, with no funding secured.
This month’s memo also provided an update on the status of the Harbour Green Park dock at Coal Harbour in downtown Vancouver. The dock was temporarily closed to the public again last winter following storm damage. The dock reopened in June 2023 following extensive repairs, ending a public closure since 2018.
The dock was previously slated to be removed from the area and stored away, but a decision was ultimately made to retain and repair the structure. According to the Park Board, the 2003-built dock — built as a community amenity contribution (CAC) from a nearby condominium project — has a flawed design that makes it more prone to damage.
Park Board staff are currently working with a marine engineering consultant to create a repair design and then select a contractor to perform another round of repairs.
The dock at Harbour Green Park in downtown Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)
The dock at Harbour Green Park in downtown Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)