According to a Friday press release from the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department, the removal of the pier, also known as Waterfront Park, was scheduled to begin later this week.
During a press conference Sunday, Seattle Office of Waterfront and Civic Projects director Marshall Foster said that when it began to collapse, both workers were using erosion on the pier.
Five of the 12 people on the site were at the pier when an alarm went off indicating a problem, Foster said.
Pier 58 sits near many popular Seattle attractions such as Pike Place Market, Seattle Great Wheels and Aquarium.
T“He was built in 1974, and the marine environment is brutal on these structures,” said Foster. “Wave action, king tides, saltwater, and they spoil very quickly in this particular case.”
The pier was also home to the four-ton FitzGerald Fountain. For that, the fountain was supported, but according to Foster, they disconnected, leaving a heavy unsupported weight on the pier.
Foster said the disastrous marine environment coupled with unsupported weight loss helped.
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