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# Ocean Ave. braces for wave of new traffic with two-month closure of Moomat Ahiko Way
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/ocean-ave-braces-for-wave-of-new-traffic-with-two-month-closure-of-moomat-ahiko-way/
- Published: 2026-09-24T10:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-24T09:59:59.000Z
- Author: Matthew Hall
- Tags: Government & Politics, Downtown Santa Monica

The Moomat Ahiko Way on- and off-ramps to and from Pacific Coast Highway will fully close for about two months beginning as early as Monday, Sept. 28, as crews tear down the final portion of the old Santa Monica Pier bridge.

The closure is part of the Santa Monica Pier Bridge Replacement Project and while the road has had temporary closures before, this will last far longer than any previous shutdown of the roadway.

Crews will use the closure to demolish the last section of the old bridge and then build columns for the new span. It will be the largest portion of the bridge demolished since the project began, according to the city and the closed road will be used to stage equipment while also keeping drivers safe during the work.

Southbound PCH drivers will be directed to exit at the California Incline or continue on eastbound Interstate 10 to Lincoln Boulevard. Drivers on Ocean Avenue trying to reach PCH should continue north to the California Incline.

The pier will remain open throughout the closure, including its restaurants, shops, attractions and businesses. Officials said there will be signs for alternative routes but drivers should allow for extra travel time in the area. Construction updates and alerts are available at santamonica.gov/programs/pier-bridge-improvements.

Moomat Ahiko Way is a former segment of State Route 187\. It runs north-south between Ocean Avenue and PCH, passing under the pier.

The road’s unusual name was first presented as a Chumash phrase in 2004\. City staff then checked with the Gabrielino Tongva Tribal Council, among others, and confirmed that "Moomat Ahiko" is Tongva and means "Breath of the Ocean," or "Breath of the Sea."

No official traffic counts are available for the road. However, city reports have listed it as operating at or near capacity for years. Before the pandemic, Caltrans reported that PCH carried 60,000 to 85,000 cars a day through Santa Monica. COVID-19 and fire closures have distorted recent counts but after the pandemic, the city of Malibu reported about 40,000 vehicles a day on the highway in that city. Recently, Caltrans estimated about 47,000 trips a day on the stretch that closed because of the Palisades Fire.

The closure is the latest disruption from the city's $35.6 million replacement of the bridge that links the intersection of Ocean and Colorado avenues to the Pier and has been the only vehicle connection to city streets for years.

The Works Progress Administration built the bridge in 1939 but it deteriorated over time to a low score of 8.2 on a 100-point federal sufficiency scale (bridges scoring below 50 qualify for federal replacement money). The old bridge was described as having cracked and delaminated concrete exposing corroding steel that would make it unsafe in a major earthquake.

The replacement plan has been decades in the making. Early efforts were scrapped or delayed due to funding problems and conservation concerns. While the final design lacks the aesthetics or features of prior efforts, it was fully funded and started in the hopes it will be finished before the 2028 Olympics.

The price climbed with each delay. Officials estimated $8 million in 2010, $27.2 million in 2021 and $29 million in 2022\. In 2025, the council awarded Shimmick Construction Co. a contract of up to $35,579,292, which includes a 20% contingency on the company's $29.6 million low bid. The council also approved $4.9 million for construction management by Bureau Veritas.

Federal Highway Bridge Program money covers $30.2 million, about 75%. The rest comes from local transportation sales tax funds, including Measures M and R and Proposition C.

The new bridge will be 447 feet long and 39 feet wide. It will have a 15-foot sidewalk on its south side and a 75-year service life. YESCO will restore the Pier sign in Las Vegas after its removal in October/November. The sign will return, 10 feet north and higher than before.