Reprinted from the Island Free Press
While the total removal of the Frisco, or Cape Hatteras, Pier is currently on hold due to the beginning of the sea turtle nesting and hatching season, the parking lot that borders the former structure has re-opened to the public this week.
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The parking area was closed for the duration of the project, which began in December 2017, although the beach near the site remained open over the past few months, when safety conditions allowed.
When the pier stood on the site in Frisco, the parking lot and the road that led to the structure were both privately owned. However, now that the majority of the pier has been removed, the parking lot and road will remain open to the public, and a future comfort station with restrooms, perhaps similar to the Bathhouse in between Frisco and Hatteras village, has already been proposed and is being considered.
“Our plan is to install some sort of a restroom facility at some point,” said Cape Hatteras National Seashore Superintendent David Hallac. “We’re not sure if that will happen in the next year, or within the next three years, but that is on the list [of projects] to accomplish.”
“As of this week, the contractor has removed all of the equipment and scraped sand back up to reform the dunes, so the beach and parking area are usable right now,” said Hallac.
The contractor for the project got the bulk of the piling removal done before the early May deadline, when sea turtle nesting season begins, however there are still some submerged pilings that will need to be removed. Work is scheduled to resume again in September 2018.
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This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast.
