Visitors to the beach in Frisco caught an eerie and once-in-a-lifetime sight on Friday, as the pier house at the Frisco (aka Cape Hatteras) Pier was removed from the landscape.
Demolition of the pier house began on Tuesday, and lasted just a few days as DOT Construction crew members hauled off components in small and manageable pieces.
As the construction crews work their way out into the Atlantic, the next step will be to tackle the visible pilings from the beach onward. Diving teams will then be brought in to remove the submerged pilings, which includes 120 out of 263 pilings total that are completely hidden, and are below the water’s surface.
The project in its entirety is slated to be completed by May 1, 2018, weather permitting. Divers need optimal conditions to descend and address the underwater pilings – which are lodged up to 30 ft. deep -so their upcoming work schedule is dependent on ocean, wind and current conditions.
In 2009, the back of the pier house to the end of the pier extended for an interrupted 600 feet. 2010’s Hurricane Earl removed a large portion of the then-closed pier, and subsequent storms have continually battered the structure in the years since.
Today, the longest section of the remaining pier is less than 120 feet, the second longest is about 110 feet, and the rest of the visible structure measures 15-20 foot long.
Once the pier has been removed, the parking area and formerly private road that leads to the site will remain open to the public as a beach access area.
