MALIBU : Pier’s Seaward End Closed for Inspection, Repairs

The beleaguered Malibu Pier, for decades an object of concern for state and local officials, has been closed seaward of Alice’s Restaurant after recent storms washed away several pilings.

The Jan. 4 storm swept six support pilings out to sea, prompting officials at the state Department of Parks and Recreation to temporarily brace the structure with timbers.

Parks’ officials then hired Moffatt & Nichol, a Long Beach engineering firm, to inspect the pier. The firm recommended that the pier be closed just south of Alice’s Restaurant. The move forced the temporary closure of two longtime pier tenants--a bait-and-tackle shop and a sportfishing business.

The pier will remain closed, the report said, pending a thorough underwater inspection of all the pilings and replacement of those in poor condition.

The pier was scheduled for $2.9 million in structural repairs and other improvements this year at the direction of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

The recent problems with the pier are the latest in a string of damage that the structure has sustained over the years. The pier was rebuilt after a devastating storm in 1942. In 1983, another powerful storm severely damaged the structure’s pilings.

Last year, the 89-year-old structure was shored up along its pilings so that it would be safe for public use.