The report on the Pier structure from the Town’s Beach Engineer, ATM, was released.  You can read it here.  Here is a summary of the report findings:

Applied Technology & Management (ATM) completed the due diligence assessment of the pier structure. The underwater inspection was very limited due to the sea state at the time of inspection (-3 to 5ft breaking waves) making it not feasible or safe to perform diving operations.  The assessment was also limited by the fact there were no plans or structural details, design criteria, technical and performance specifications, shop drawings, as-builts, geotechnical information, or wind/wave studies that could be located.

Overall,  the pier has likely surpassed its remaining service life considering it was constructed in 1957, which is ~64 years old. Most fixed timber pier structures are constructed for a 50-year life span with regular maintenance. Without maintenance records it is difficult to ascertain when key components such as the pilings were replaced.

• Five pilings are in critical condition and require immediate action.
• Handrails are in poor condition are a severe safety risk. There is one critical section of handrail on the east side nearshore that exhibited excessive movement when pushed upon.
• The plumbing and electrical may be out of compliance and would likely require replacement in order to comply with current codes. Some electrical connections are exposed and are considered a recognized safety hazard.
• In absence of the piling as-built elevations and installation records, ATM could not ascertain the top elevation, overall length, or pile embedment. Pile embedment information is critical in determining the structural capacity of the piles.
• Most of the pile bents (cross beams) are in good condition, but some are exhibiting wood rot at the ends and are in poor condition.
• The stringers appear to be in fair condition. In several locations there was no apparent connection between the stringers and the pile bents. Therefore, their condition is unknown. The connection hardware was inconsistent overall, and in many cases, they exhibited moderate to extreme corrosion.
• The decking is in fair condition and appears to be maintained with no tripping hazards observed.  The structure has a few notable areas where deflection and rotation are apparent on the decking surface. The variation in the surface is consistent with locations where piles were leaning significantly or broken.

Immediate repairs to the pier to extend the service life to a reasonable period of time (10-15 years) is estimated to be on the order of $500,000 to $750,000. This would include replacement or significant repair of the three damaged piles, replacement of the damaged pile caps, installation of new cross bracing and total replacement of corroded fasteners and connections. This estimate assumes that significant material such as decking and stringers can be salvaged, and the construction can be completed by land-based equipment (i.e., no mobilization of barges or water-based equipment).

One of the key concerns observed during the inspection was the heavily corroded and missing/damaged connection hardware throughout the pier structure. Nearly all visible connections are in critical condition and will require replacement.  A majority of the horizontal and vertical cross-braces are either missing, detached, or broken which is a critical condition for the structure.