Construction is officially beginning, and soon you and your family will be able to enjoy the Slidell Fishing Pier.
“This fishing pier was used daily, and it’s an important recreational aspect for our community.” St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper said.
During a groundbreaking ceremony, President Cooper explained this isn’t the first time they attempted to rebuild the pier.
“We were just four days shy of reopening the fishing pier that had been refurbished, and we were very excited about the reopening of the pier.” Cooper said, but on that day, Hurricane Ida wiped out the approach to our fishing pier.”
Cooper said they spent years negotiating with FEMA to get them to agree to fund the project so they can improve the pier instead of replacing it exactly how it was.
With the $3 million dollar project officially approved, councilmember Jeff Corbin says they will now have a strong and fortified pier for years to come.
“Instead of it being built with wood like you see here, we are going to build it out of steel.” Corbin said, “So it’s got a higher further above the waterline, even when a surge comes in. It’s also made out of much more resilient materials.”
Officials believe the pier should reopen by early next year. There are more upgrade plans for the pier, which include a boat dock, but those upgrades will happen in a future phase of construction.
READ MORE:Slidell Fishing Pier set to reopen early next year
