After nearly four years without the popular Alabama attraction at full force, state officials expect the Gulf State Park Pier to reopen to the public by the end of summer.

"This is the completion of something we wanted to see everyone get the chance to walk on before [Hurricane] Sally came," said Lamar Pendergrass, South Region operations supervisor for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR). "I know the pier is a special place to a lot of people, not just those who visit Gulf Shores but those who call Gulf Shores their home. A lot of friendships have been made and developed on the pier. It means a lot not only not just to us, but to any of the surrounding areas."

A direct hit from Hurricane Sally in September 2020 left roughly a 200-foot stretch of the pier collapsed near its octagon, not long after undergoing a $2.4 million renovation. Repairs on the pier were not started for over three years, until November 2023.

In May, ADCNR stated MD Thomas Construction would be reusing a large portion of the ipe panels that were gathered in the hurricane's aftermath. As Gulf Coast Media previously reported, MD Thomas, the same contractor that completed the previous renovation, was awarded the $13.6 million job in June 2023, once the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) agreed to provide funds for repairs.

"We not only have completion, but an approval and inspection final on all concrete work," Pendergrass shared. "Once the scaffolding was removed, that allowed the contractor to start putting down the deck panels that had already been reassembled in the parking lot. We knew the decking of the octagon would go fast.

"What we're looking at now is putting up a lot of the hand posts that were broken off during Sally and the majority of the hand rails around the octagon. Not only the railing, but the top rails and other work such as running all new electrical and putting in the downlights and uplights. All of the electrical has to be re-ran from the 'T' to the end of the octagon. All of the water has to be re-ran in a small chase below the decking. They're going to bracket that in, so the brackets will not only hold a two-inch water line, but hold the electrical and also a phone that would service the elevator."

The pier's observation tower -- one of the newest additions, placed 10-15 feet above the octagon for people to sightsee and watch the fishermen below without having to be directly among them -- sustained little to no damage; however, its elevator now has to be replaced. This process could take several months, although Pendergrass says it will be of no concern relative to the reopening.

"There's no way we will risk keeping the pier closed and not allowing everyone who has anticipated fishing on the octagon for the last four years," Pendergrass said.