Williams Pier Closed Until October

By Laura Mulrooney

Williams Pier has been closed for a short period of time. Unfortunately, folks can expect it to be at least three more months before the barricades come down.

This is the first major overhaul for the pier since it opened in 1987.

Wolfgang Deininger

Gulfport Public Works Director Tom Nicholls expects the repairs to hold up for 15 to 20 years, based on the Evaluation and Structural Assessment Report done in March 2019 by engineering company, Cardno.

The report gave two recommendations for repair.

Wolfgang Deininger

Option 1: Repair of all major, intermediate and minor deterioration.

Option 2: Replace the 10 beams with major deterioration and repair of other beams with intermediate and minor deterioration.

After reviewing the report the city chose option two, for longevity purposes. The cost of the repairs is $447,000, which was the lowest bid by Mid-Coast Construction.

However, according to the report, future repairs may be needed to prolong the life of all of the pier’s components in the next five to 10 years. Future repairs are expected to cost $100,000.