Photo by Wolfgang Deininger.Gulfport’s Bert and Walter Williams Pier is still under construction.
Williams Pier initially closed in July for repairs with the expectation that it would reopen in October. During the course of the repairs, the city discovered further deterioration; City of Gulfport Public Works Director Tom Nicholls now hopes the repairs will be done by mid November.
“The primary cause for this delay is that we had to adjust quantities for repairs to reflect the current level of deterioration, which has increased since the onset of the design plan preparation,” Nicholls told the Gabber. “The most significant change has occurred to the underside of the beams where the crack injection repairs have deteriorated further and developed into a much more expensive (and time-consuming) spall repair.”
Nicholls has approached the contractor about options to try and open sooner, though he says that looks to be unlikely.
“Safety and liability are our number one concern,” said Nicholls. “Many of the spall repairs require that the safety railing be removed to make the repair.”
