A half-scale copy of the Santa Monica Pier sign now stands on the left side of the deck, just before Pier Burger. It faces the Pacific Park roller coaster and the shoreline. The City put it there so people can keep taking photos while the original is away. The replica will stay through construction of the new Pier Bridge.

The original was unveiled on June 17, 1941. It is landmarked and trademarked by the City and listed on the California Register of Historical Resources. Starting October 20, it came off in stages. The Santa Monica Lookout reported that this has happened only a few times since 1941: once in the 1950s, when the sign moved from the Pier entrance to its spot near Ocean Avenue, and again in 2017, when it was refurbished. Crews took off the neon tubing on October 20 and the crown on October 21. Removal of the main section was moved to the morning of Friday, October 23, according to MyNewsLA. The sign is going to YESCO's facility in Las Vegas. YESCO is the company that restored the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. Its crew will repair the neon tubing, remove rust, and repaint the sign, then store it for more than a year while the new $35 million bridge goes up.

For anyone who lives a few blocks away, the schedule decides how usable the Pier is this winter. Heavy construction happens on weekday mornings. The free events for residents happen on weekends and on one Thursday a month. If you plan around those hours, the Pier this winter is still a place you can use.

The Construction Clock Stops at 1 p.m.

The City's project page lists work from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays. It runs from around Ocean Avenue and Colorado Avenue through the Pier entrance, and the City warns that drilling and heavy machinery may be loud. During the same hours, Ocean Front Walk under the bridge can close from time to time, with flaggers sending pedestrians around the work.

That morning window is where the City is in a long sequence. The published schedule runs as follows:

1. December 2025 to January 2026: set up the construction area in the parking lot north of the Pier
2. February to June 2026: build a temporary pedestrian bridge and a temporary vehicle ramp
3. June to September 2026: demolish the existing Pier Bridge
4. July to December 2026: build the foundation of the new bridge
5. October 2026 to August 2027: build the new bridge
6. June to September 2027: remove the temporary bridge and ramp, and restore the parking lot
7. December 2027: project completion

Right now, foundation work and the start of bridge construction overlap. That is why this stretch is noisy in the mornings. The City notes that the schedule depends on weather and other variables. Its October 19 release on the sign says the project is scheduled to finish by 2028, in time for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. That is a looser date than the December 2027 on the timeline page.

The demolition phase also closed the Moomat Ahiko Way on- and off-ramps for about two months starting September 28. That puts the reopening around late November. While the ramps are closed, the City is sending southbound Pacific Coast Highway traffic to the California Incline, or to the eastbound 10 Freeway and Lincoln Boulevard. The City has said the Pier remains open.

Four Ways On, and a Separate One for Wheels

The old bridge entrance is closed to vehicles. Walkers now have several routes, as the Santa Monica Daily Press laid out when the temporary bridge opened:

• The temporary pedestrian bridge, about 30 feet south of the old Ocean Avenue entrance. This is the main walking route from Ocean Avenue.
• Ocean Front Walk, from the beach path.
• A protected pedestrian path beside the temporary vehicle ramp in the Pier parking lot.
• The stairs near Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Bikes, skateboards, and other small vehicles are not allowed on the temporary bridge. They should use Seaside Terrace instead. The temporary vehicle ramp is on the southwest side of the Pier and is reached through the Pier parking lot. The Pier's directions page also lists rideshare drop-off at 1550 Appian Way, with stairs or wheelchair-accessible ramps from there. It also lists the walk west on Colorado Avenue from the Downtown Santa Monica Metro station, and the Marvin Braude Bike Trail. Those directions may not reflect every construction detour.

Parking Moved South and Inland

Lot 1 North was never closed entirely. When construction began in December 2025, the City said about a third of the lot would be used for staging, leaving about 726 spaces. Heal the Bay's current notice says guests can still park in Lot 1 North but may run into construction blockages. Lot 1 South remains fully open.

The Santa Monica Daily Press recommended Beach Lot 4 South, Beach Lot 3 North, and Parking Structure 8 in its October 20 coverage of the sign removal. The Pier deck lot is listed as open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Pier's page gives no Friday-through-Sunday hours, so check the deck before driving down for a weekend event.

The Free Events Fall Outside the Work Hours

This is where the schedule works for residents. The Pier's fall events for locals take place on weekends and one Thursday a month, not during the weekday-morning work window.

The Día de los Muertos celebration is in its seventh year. This year it honors Pedro Infante, the singer and actor of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, who made more than 60 films and recorded more than 350 songs. Local artist Sylvia Sanchez made the altars. The 100-year-old carousel will be decorated with marigolds and papel picado. Sunday's program starts at noon with a classic car cruise and face painting, followed by a 1 p.m. Aztec blessing at the far west end of the Pier and a procession to the Merry Go-Round. Santa Monica Ballet Folklórico performs at 2 p.m., mariachi and folklórico at 3 p.m., and Consul General of Mexico Carlos González Gutiérrez speaks at 4 p.m. The band Brotherhood plays the outdoor stage at 4:30 p.m. Visitors can bring a photo of someone they want to honor for the community ofrenda.

Locals' Night runs on the third Thursday of each month from September through May. The Pier describes it as a series "for locals, by locals," with youth activities, a car show, local DJs and bands, and art exhibits. Entry is free with a ticket. The Eventbrite listing also offers an optional $40 add-on that bundles an unlimited Pacific Park ride wristband with a Pier sticker pack. November's theme is Swiss Art + Sound. December's is Holiday Cheer on the Pier.

The one exception is the aquarium. As of October 19, Heal the Bay Aquarium has paused its regular weekend public hours and birthday parties for the rest of bridge construction. It plans special events and open houses in their place, and all its other programs continue. Questions go to the aquarium at (310) 393-6149, extension 206.

What Changes Before the Sign Returns

The Pier will have new tenants by the time the sign comes back. Two spaces have moved forward this fall.

At 256 Santa Monica Pier, the former Rusty's Surf Ranch has been empty since December 2024. On October 13, the City Council voted 7–0 to let City Manager Oliver Chi negotiate and sign a lease with Santa Monica Brew Works, as the Santa Monica Wave reported. The Santa Monica Lookout describes Brew Works as a locally owned craft brewery that opened in 2014. It has proposed a surf-, skate- and beach-themed fast-casual restaurant with its own beer and live music, tentatively called "Surf Shack by Santa Monica Brew Works." This comes after the City ended talks with an earlier operator in July. The space is about 3,039 square feet indoors plus a 1,073-square-foot patio. The Santa Monica Daily Press reported up to $750,000 in City funding for tenant improvements. As of October 20, no final lease had been signed and no opening date had been announced.

Above the Pier, the City is looking for a café operator for the renovated Camera Obscura building at 1450 Ocean Avenue in Palisades Park. The plans include a café, a deck, and a patio. The building is also slated to serve as Switzerland's Olympic House for 2028, and the Santa Monica Daily Press reported a target of summer 2027 for the building to be ready.

When the restored sign returns, it will go on top of the new bridge. The City says it will sit slightly higher than before, to make it easier to see and to give vehicles more clearance. Until then, the replica near Pier Burger is where the photos get taken, and the temporary bridge 30 feet south of the old entrance is the way in.

Big public projects near the coast tend to come up when owners near Ocean Avenue think about timing. If you'd like a quiet conversation about how the Pier Bridge work and the run-up to 2028 might affect your property, John Giddins is glad to help. You can start with a simple question: What's My Home Worth?