Cole Park Pier in Corpus Christi has been closed since April 2018 because of unsafe conditions. Portions of the pier collapsed later the same month. The city plans to demolish the old structure and build a new pier. Courtesy photo
Cole Park Pier will be torn down and rebuilt announced city of Corpus Christi officials in a news conference February 3. Already in disrepair, the popular fishing pier was further damaged by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. The 50-year-old structure was finally ruled unsafe for use and closed by the city in April 2018.
Engineering firm Jacobs Engineering of Dallas has been chosen to design the new pier, City Manager Peter Zanoni said. The City Council is expected to vote on the choice at its February 11 meeting. The company has extensive experience working in saltwater.
Councilor Ben Molina represents District 2, which encompasses Cole Park and the pier. He hopes to keep the pier’s current length of 500 feet but make the structure wider with additional amenities. Additions mentioned include shade covers, benches, improved lighting, and more fish-cleaning stations.
Tearing down the old pier and building a new one will cost much less than repairing the old one, Zanoni said. To demolish and rebuild should cost about $4.1 million. Renovation costs are estimated at $7.1 million and would only extend the pier’s life by 10 years.
The design part of the project will be paid for with money from the 2018 bond program approved by voters. Another bond initiative could be added to the November 3 election ballot, part of which would be used to pay for construction. The city also will look into available grants.
As far as a timeline, design should take about six months. The city will need to obtain permits from the Texas General Land Office and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. With construction probably taking at least a year, the new pier should be open to the public sometime in the summer of 2021.
