IMPERIAL BEACH — Locals who intended to take a stroll down the Imperial Beach Pier had to put off their walks for a week, since the structure was closed for repairs Nov.16-21.

Quite a Load — Imperial Beach Pier visitors and workers watched as a Huey helicopter lifted and set one of three pier piles on the structure. The piles are 60 feet in length and weigh a back-breaking 2,800 pounds each.

The beach and water areas adjacent to the pier were also off limits to foot traffic during the process, which included the replacement of three pier piles. The piles — which are 60 feet in length and weigh approximately 2,800 pounds each — were transported by a helicopter.

A Huey helicopter owned and operated by El Cajon-based Blackhawk Helicopters Inc. was hired to carry out the heavy lifting. NEWest Construction Co. Inc. and subcontractor Western Foundations & Shoring Inc. planned the innovative pile-setting process.

While the whole process took only about 20 minutes, it took more than eight months for the Federal Aviation Administration to approve the job, the port stated.

The pile replacement is part of a $639,860 Port of San Diego maintenance project to ensure the pier’s continued safety and longevity, the port stated.

Visitors have flocked to the pier since its construction in the 1960s. The pier was last renovated and extended in 1986.

Other components of the project include the replacement of approximately 20 percent of the structure’s deck boards, repairs to the steel ramp/stair structure and the replacement of guardrail post supports. The gravity portion of the pier’s sewer system will also be replaced and pile cap connection hardware connections will be installed.

The port completed $1.2 million in structural renovations to the pier in 2006, which included recoating the steel pile caps, upgrading to the steel electrical system and replacing light poles. Minor timber and sewer line improvement projects were also conducted.

The current project will be completed in March 2010.