The Deauville and Trouville piers were built in 1846 in squared oak to improve the infrastructure of the coastal port of Trouville and facilitate navigation in the channel opened from 1849. To remedy its permanent silting up, they were extended to 1,804 ft (550 m) for the west pier (Deauville side) and 718 ft (219 m) for the east pier (Trouville side) in 1858 and 1870. Beech, made rot-proof for the submerged parts, and red fir, imported from Scandinavia for the emerged parts, then replaced the more expensive and more fragile oak. Two lights intended to signal the entrance to the channel were installed at the end of each jetty by ministerial decision of January 26, 1874.