SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KRON) -- The Santa Cruz Wharf will reopen to the public on Saturday January 4, city officials said,13 days after a section of the century-old pier collapsed into the ocean. About 150 feet collapsed within seconds on Dec. 23, 2024 when huge waves battered pilings beyond their breaking point. A construction project to repair the end of the wharf was not completed fast enough to save it from a powerful winter swell. Three construction workers and heavy equipment tumbled into the waves below. The majority of the wharf has been deemed "safe to reopen" based on a recently-completed sonar and engineering assessment, city officials announced Thursday. A portion of the pier that was damaged by the collapse will remain closed to the public. A section of the Santa Cruz Wharf that collapsed into the Pacific Ocean is seen at a nearby beach on Dec. 24, 2024. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) An engineering assessment conducted by an infrastructure firm "did not observe any damage to the wharf’s structural capacity beyond the area affected by storm damage, and noted that it has the same strength it did before the storm," said Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Director Tony Elliot. Officials reveal reasons why Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed A narrow section at the end of the wharf is heavily damaged and will remain closed off. Vehicles will not be permitted to go beyond Marini's Candies store. Cars can turn around at the East Parking Lot area. The Santa Cruz Wharf is seen after the section of the pier fell into the ocean during high surf the previous day, in Santa Cruz, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) A construction crane is still on the seafloor. "Wharf contractor Power Engineering Construction worked with Pioneer for an ocean sonar scan to locate their heavy equipment that fell into the ocean," said City Manager Matt Huffaker. "A skiff washed up on the beach and is secured, and the crane and a skid steer are currently in the ocean at a safe distance from the wharf," Huffaker said. 100-foot wave? Surfer at NorCal’s Mavericks may have broken world record Francis Schiano of the United States Coast Guard Sector San Francisco said, "The crane was located approximately 160 feet southeast of the collapsed face of the wharf, which is a safe distance away. The crane is stuck at this time and not moving around." Big pieces of the broken wharf and pilings are still scattered across Santa Cruz County beaches.