Keeping up A-pier-ances.

In a time of so much destruction – we’re looking at you, Tropical Storm Eta – it’s nice to celebrate a little reconstruction.

Folks are back to fishing and promenading on Gulfport’s Bert and Walter Williams Pier, which closed in July for its first major overhaul since opening in 1987.

The city initially expected the repairs to take about three months, but during the course of the work, the city found further deterioration. City of Gulfport Public Works Director Tom Nicholls hoped the repairs would be done by mid November, and he wasn’t far off.

On Wednesday, November 25, the City of Gulfport announced the reopening of Williams Pier after nearly five months of structural reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Nicholls expects the repairs to hold up for 15 to 20 years, based on engineering company Cardno’s evaluation and structural assessment report done in March 2019.

“Minor repair activities will continue for the next few weeks, but we do not anticipate closing the pier for these final items,” the City of Gulfport stated in a press release November 25.

Laura Mulrooney