FAIRHOPE — Construction at the Fairhope Municipal Pier has been progressing and at least part of the pier will be ready for later this summer.

Since last year, construction has been underway to improve Fairhope's pier and bayfront with new sidewalks, drainage, better shoreline protection and a new restroom facility at South Beach Park among other additions as part of the city's Working Waterfront Project. The project started last fall and is worth $10 million, which includes a $6.2 million Restore Act grant that was awarded to the city in 2020.

City officials have said the intent of the project is to enhance the waterfront facilities and to better improve the longer-term resiliency and sustainability of the pier for years to come, with one of the bigger improvements of the project being the repair of the 50-year-old bulkhead/seawall. Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan told GCM that the city expects the north end of the pier to be open in time for Fairhope's Fourth of July celebrations, with the remainder of the construction expected to be completed no later than September.

"The pier in that area is the most iconic spot in town so to take on a renovation of that was pretty stressful and challenging to be honest," Sullivan said. "I do think once we're finished that it is going to be something that everybody can be proud of."

Some citizens have had concerns over the use of riprap in front of the seawall, but Sullivan said that they felt it was necessary for the north seawall, which does not have riprap and was more exposed to strong currents and severe weather, with the north seawall having experienced issues of caving in throughout the past. She said it was important to protect the seawall in order to ensure the longevity and resilience of the pier for years to come.

As a result of the construction, the popular Earth Day Mobile Bay event, originally scheduled to take place in Fairhope, was instead moved to Chicasabogue Park in Mobile County. Amid construction, pedestrian and vehicle traffic have been allowed to pass through a portion of the pier, and the Blind Tiger, a restaurant that opened at the pier in 2024, continues to operate amid the project.