Years in the making, repairs to the Bermuda Avenue stairs in Ocean Beach are finally complete.

The Bermuda staircase/seawall providing the only access to the pocket beach below, was damaged during winter storms in 2015-16. Consequently, City staff closed the stairwell due to tidal action that eroded the lower stairway foundation causing the lower stairs to collapse.

“This project has been a priority for OB residents, and I am so grateful to our hardworking City staff for getting this project done so everyone can continue to enjoy our beautiful beaches,” said District 2 Councilmember Jennifer Campbell representing the Peninsula.

Tyler Becker, senior City spokesperson, noted the Bermuda Avenue Beach Access Stairs project replaced the collapsed stairs located at the western end of Bermuda Avenue in Point Loma. “The original staircase, which was constructed in the 1940s, collapsed due to decades of exposure to the harsh coastal environment,” Becker said adding, “The top landing and backfill eroded, concrete material broke down due to natural weathering and pieces of reinforcement corroded.”

Becker said the $3.65 million replacement project was initiated in 2018, started construction in the spring of 2023, and was completed in July 2024. “The new staircase has a similar alignment to the original stairs and is constructed on a concrete block for the first flight, followed by cast-in-drilled-hole piles for the two upper flights,” he said. “The entire staircase is made of high-strength concrete and epoxy-coated rebars for more durability and less maintenance. The staircase was designed to be independent of the existing seawall while also accounting for sea-level rise.”

The scope of the recently completed Bermuda stairs project consisted of the replacement of the deteriorated and damaged stairway for public access to the beach at the western terminus of Bermuda Avenue.