NAGS HEAD, N.C. — Jennette's Pier is back open for business for anglers and sightseers, and the pier itself has a new look. A replanking project is happening across the entire facility, and when it's completed, there will have been nearly 30,000 linear board feet of 12-inch-wide planks installed.
"Going crazy," said Phat Chung, who now lives in the Outer Banks and has been fishing at Jennette's Pier for nearly 30 years.
That's how Chung has felt for nearly a month of not being able to fish on Jennette's Pier, a place he has fished alongside his wife for decades. He even tried out other piers during the closure due to the replanking.
"We tried a lot out of places, but this is the best place. You can go farther and deeper here, you can catch a lot of fish out here," said Chung.
On Saturday, the pier reopened for fishing and sightseeing to the public as the majority of the replanking construction project has now been finished.
"For the past four to six weeks, a crew has been coming through, stripping off the old wooden deck and replacing it with a new fiber reinforced polymer plank that is a custom-made product," said Mike Remige, the director of Jennette's Pier.
Remige said the planks are also corrosion-resistant and feature a light texture for grip. He said that for the past 15 years, Mother Nature has taken its toll on the previous wooden decking of the pier and they wanted to install something that would stand the test of time for decades.
"The wooden deck on the pier has really suffered from the elements, and it was really, really time consuming to maintain it over over time. So we decided a while back that we were going to invest in the future, invest in something that's going to last us decades, 30 to 50 years, hopefully," said Remige.
Many people News 3 spoke with on the pier Tuesday said they are really enjoying the new look and are also happy that they were there at the right time when the pier opened again.
"It's amazing. I would have wasted a trip if I couldn't have been (here on the pier). I'm here at the right week," said Telisa Cooper, who is visiting the Outer Banks.
The nearly $3.5 million project is expected to be fully finished in the next few weeks.
"The main entrance right now is being worked on. We're able to divert people around the backside so they can still get out on the pier and access it. And then the final piece of the puzzle will be the main entrance ramp. The contractor fully expects it to be done in just the next few weeks," said Remige.
Remige and the entire Jennette's Pier staff are excited to be able to welcome anglers and sightseers back onto the beloved structure, while also thinking about how this project will only continue that enjoyment for generations to come.
"I think about the legacy of it all. I'm not going to be here forever, none of us are going to be here forever. But if everything's done right, and this deck is done right, this will be here for a long, long time," said Remige.
Remige also gave a shoutout to the construction crews who are well ahead of schedule during this process.
"I really have to give due credit to the construction company. Their crew has been working extremely hard. They knew that we wanted to be open for the season, and they were very accommodating through this process, and worked extra hard to make sure that we could open in a timely manner," said Remige.
All visitors who want to access the pier will need to go into the pier house using the north ramp and northwest doors. The south ramp, main entrance and observation deck on the south side of the pier house remain under construction and are not accessible. For more information and updates on the construction process, head to Jennette's Pier's Facebook here.
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