About an hour and a half before a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly rebuilt Bob Hall Pier, Nueces County Commissioner Brent Chesney looked at a small group of anglers waiting to fish.
“For me, it’s a very emotional day,” Chesney said as more anglers started to arrive and wait in anticipation. “It says a lot about how many people are already lined up and we haven’t even started yet. It wasn’t easy, but I never gave up on this project.”
After being demolished by Hurricane Hanna in 2020, Bob Hall Pier on North Padre Island opened to the public on Feb. 24.
It will be free to the public for the first 90 days and then revert to the 2017 prices, Chesney said.
History of Bob Hall Pier
Bob Hall Pier is named after Robert Reid Hall, a Corpus Christi native and longtime government official. It opened to the public on June 17, 1950. The original pier ended in a T-head, was about 300 feet long and constructed of timber, and cost more than $17,000.
In 1952, commissioners voted to extend the pier and add an additional T-head. But incidents started to occur years later.
First was in September 1960 when a 42-foot shrimp boat, known as “Big Tinker,” rammed the pier. It left a 10-foot gap, and 15 people were stranded on the seaward side of the pier for more than an hour before being rescued.
The following year, Hurricane Carla made landfall as a Category 4 storm and washed away Bob Hall Pier. It was rebuilt quickly in 1962, and the structure was 1,200 feet long and featured three T-heads.
Five years later, Hurricane Beulah made landfall on Sept. 20 and took about 600 feet of the pier with it.
In 1970, Hurricane Celia left the pier slightly damaged, but Hurricane Allen in 1980 did in the wooden pier.
Bob Hall Pier was rebuilt for the third time in 1983. At 1,200 feet long, it came with a concessions stand, fish cleaning stations, wheelchair ramp, restrooms and improved lighting. In 1996, Tropical Storm Josephine washed away concrete steps to the pier, but it reopened less than a week later.
In 2020, Hurricane Hanna pummeled the pier with an estimated $16.5 million in damage.
The new pier
Chesney said the new pier is 1,253 feet long and has a 50-year lifespan.
Troy Adler, chair of the Nueces County Coastal Parks Board, was one of the many officials speaking prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He said this fourth pier is wider, taller and “stronger than ever before.”
“The fishing area at the end of the pier has been expanded to allow more room for visitors with a diamond shape to defend against the constant waves,” Adler said to a crowd of hundreds. “We still have some construction to finish with the restaurant and concession space, but we pressed to get this pier open for some summertime fun.”
Along with the restaurant and concession space, Chesney said people can expect a roadway, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant parking, bathrooms and a commissioned mural.
“We still have work to to do,” Chesney said in his closing remarks. “We won’t give up until all of it is built.”
John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Rebuilt Bob Hall Pier opens on North Padre Island in Corpus Christi
Reporting by John Oliva, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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