CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Cole Park Pier project moves on to a next stage in the process.
All the pier caps have been placed in the water and almost all the floor panels have been laid down. Councilman Ben Molina said the five left will be placed this week.
While that gets wrapped up before the benches and awnings go in, the additional parking lot is done and crews have broken ground on the plaza area included in the project.
People can expect a new gathering space, increased lighting and security cameras and electrical outlets.
The estimated $7.5 million project was set to be done in September, but weather has caused many road bumps.
“The weather that we’ve had recently has set us back. There’s also been some supply chain issues," said Molina. "But other than that the contractor is working seven days a week trying to make sure that we build the pier in an efficient timely manner.”
Now that the pier has taken shape, Molina reiterates the pier caps were never crooked, as rumors may have implied. It was all part of the design to have "bump-outs" on the pier.
"Although the pier caps, the bear pier caps look like they were installed crooked or out of line, they are built towards the specifications design by our engineer," Molina said. "What that does is that allows extra space for people that are enjoying the pier to clean their fish, mover their equipment out of the way so that they're not blocking any walkways."
Locals visiting Cole Park on Sunday expressed their anticipation to finally see the project finish. Alma Munoz said it's looking good, so far.
“As a kid, I know i used to come and run across the bridge and go fishing," she said. "So, yeah I have a lot of fond memories."
Most people I spoke with in the park are just hoping the new pier draws new people into the city.
“It’s always been real nice to go out there and stand by the water especially when the water’s really high and the waves are coming up," said Arthur Lopez. "And man, I've seen some big fish been caught out there on that pier, so. I’m very excited for the new one to see what we can catch out there.”
Molina added that he’s planing a kickoff celebration when the pier officially opens. He said it's at 68 percent complete, he's hoping they're done in November.
