The Coast News Group
The Oceanside Pier on a Saturday afternoon. Throughout the next two years, Oceanside’s beachfront by the pier will be under construction for various, long overdue improvements. Photo by Samantha Nelson
CitiesOceanside

Beachfront improvements to start next month

OCEANSIDE — Council has awarded a $9.2 million contract to an Orange County-based contractor for the Beachfront Improvements Project, which will begin construction next month.

PCN3 Inc. of Los Alamitos will begin construction on the project in April with an expected date of completion in October 2021.

The project’s total construction cost is just over $12 million, according to City Engineer Brian Thomas. That amount is about twice as much as the project was originally expected to cost.

“I’m saddened that it’s going to cost that much more because we were so happy when we got the grant from the state,” said Councilwoman Esther Sanchez at the Feb. 26 Council meeting. “We were hoping we weren’t going to have to touch Measure X funds.”

The city has just over $14 million in available funds for the project. In October, Oceanside received $7.84 million from a state grant to back up the majority of the project.

Another $1.7 million is coming from the Water Utilities funds and $4.5 million from Measure X funds. The remaining $1.95 million will be returned to the Measure X balance.

The improvements will consist of the following south of the beach amphitheater:

  • Demolition of the building that houses an Oceanside Police Department substation.
  • Full replacement of the existing sewer lift station.
  • Reconstruction of the beach access staircase to Pacific Street and opposite Mission Avenue.
  • Remodeling the 1930s-era beach bathhouse to serve as the new OPD substation.
  • A new landscaped viewing area with bench seating at the top of the Pacific Street staircase.
  • Reconstruction of the plaza from the foot of the staircase to The Strand
  • A new building in the “Betty’s Lot” parking lot for restrooms, storefronts and a garage for staff.
  • Resurfacing and restriping of Betty’s Lot with three additional parking spaces to be added.

The project’s construction will be split into two phases to accommodate special events planned over the next few years, Thomas told council at its Feb. 26 meeting.

The first phase will include the stairway area, plaza and the area north of the stairway, all to be completed by mid-December and reopened to public use upon completion. The second phase will include work south of the stairway area.

The project’s total duration is 18 months.

1 comment

concerned March 5, 2020 at 8:24 pm

Will it all look natural?

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