Santa Monica Pier to Get Emergency Dock

Byline: Taylor Hill SANTA MONICA — The California Coastal Commission has approved a project to construct a gangway and dock alongside Santa Monica Pier, providing better emergency access for Harbor Patrol vessels to the pier — and emergency evacuation capabilities, as well. The $1.15 million project will be located along the west side of the pier immediately east of the two-story Harbor Patrol building. The 80-foot-long gangway will be placed parallel to the side of the pier, and it will be raised and lowered from the dock below by an electric hoist. Santa Monica associate project manager Zach Pollard said the gangway and dock will provide better emergency access off the pier. “Right now, the emergency access is at the end of the pier, and is more like a chute that you have to climb down as a boat waits below,” Pollard said. “This will make it a little easier to get people on and off the pier, and provide access to more people.” The floating dock will be anchored by a helical anchor system that essentially screws into the seafloor, and it will not require additional piles to be driven. To account for swell along the unprotected pier, the docks will be attached to...