Jericho Pier repairs complete 3 years after damaging storm

The repaired Jericho Pier is seen on Friday, June 13.

Three-and-a-half years after it was severely damaged during a storm, the repairs on Vancouver’s popular Jericho Pier are complete, the park board announced Friday.

The 80-year-old wooden pier is now open to the public just in time for summer, but fences will remain in place this weekend due to a triathlon, the board said.

“Thank you for your patience while we completed this work,” it wrote on social media.

The attraction looks the same as it has for decades, as the board voted for it to be repaired “like-for-like” back in 2023.

Commissioners approved a $1-million repair plan a year later, which was covered by insurance. The work began late last year.

That was despite staff recommending the pier be demolished instead, warning the aging asset would need to undergo costly repairs on a routine basis as storms repeatedly batter it.

Staffers estimated a brand-new pier would cost about $25 million, and a demolition up to $3.6 million.

While replacing the damaged parts was the cheapest option, staff said the city would have to pay between $100,000 and $2.35 million annually to maintain and repair the pier if they went the “like-for-like” route.

At the time, commissioners acknowledged the repair was a short-term solution and that they would consider a full replacement in the future.