City Officials Update Public on the Future of Cole Park Pier

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – Today, the City of Corpus Christi held a news conference to share with the community the future and next steps for the Cole Park Pier. The pier is a popular destination that has been closed to the public since it was damaged by Hurricane Harvey. 

Councilman Ben Molina shared the City is moving forward with rebuilding this iconic landmark. The current pier is 500 feet long and Councilman Molina would like to see the pier be made wider allowing for more promenade-type features. Additional amenities he would also like to include are shade covers, benches, better nighttime lighting, and more fish cleaning stations. Funding for the design of the project will come from the voter approved Bond 2018 program. Funding for construction has not been fully identified at this time but several options have been identified including grant resources and Bond 2020.

City Manager Peter Zanoni also announced City staff will recommend to Council on February 11, Jacobs Engineering be chosen as the designer for the rebuild project. The firm is headquartered in Dallas and has a specialized Ports and Marine group of over 550 professionals. The Jacobs design team is familiar with the salt-water environment and understands construction techniques required to provide a long-term cost-effective pier. Additionally, Zanoni shared the design process will take anywhere from six-months to a year depending on the permit process by the Texas General Land Office and the US Army Corp of Engineers. Estimated time of construction could take up to one year with the potential to have a finished product by June 2021.