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Repairs to Buckroe Fishing Pier will be done by August, officials say

Posted at 9:00 PM, Mar 02, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-02 21:00:57-05

Repairs to the James T. Wilson Fishing Pier - also known as the Buckroe Fishing Pier - at Buckroe Beach will begin soon, officials said Monday.

Work is expected to be completed by early August.

The pier was damaged in November when a barge broke free and crashed into it during a storm. No one was hurt during the incident.

The city has hired Marine Contracting for the repair work, which will cost $1,091,659. City funds will be used ensure that the repairs begin as soon as possible, but the city is pursuing a claim against the company whose equipment caused the damage.

An assessment showed that the first two sections of the pier closest to the restroom and bait shop building had collapsed. Two of the pilings supporting the northeast corner of the building are missing and another is damaged, officials said.

Precon Marine Inc. completed initial work in early January, during which they stabilized the fishing pier and repaired damage to the observation pier.

November's incident wasn't the pier's first damaging experience - it was destroyed in 2003 during Hurricane Isabel. The City of Hampton says the pier sees 36,000 visitors each year, bringing in more than $330,000 in revenue.

In 2015, the pier was renamed the James T. Wilson Fishing Pier in honor of the city's retiring Parks and Recreation director.