By Brian Gilliland

LEWES — At an outreach event Wednesday, state environmental officials provided far-reaching updates on several projects, including information about the Cape Henlopen State Park fishing pier.

Installed in 1942 as part of the Fort Miles military facility, the pier was more than 1,775 feet long when it was turned over to the park and became a popular place for fishing and crabbing.

However, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control reports that the structure has “far exceeded” its life expectancy. Since 2021, the agency said it has spent more than $2 million on repairs.

While most of the now-1,250-foot-long pier is still open to the public, conditions have required the planned removal of its last 24 feet, and annual inspections of the pilings have become necessary.

The last inspection, completed in November 2023, found that the outward 144 feet of the structure needed to be closed immediately (it was); the last two rows of piles are significantly leaning; the framing for those piles is damaged beyond repair; the framing of the closed section needs repair; and 20 piles need jacket repair, jacket extension or bearing repair.

DNREC estimates the cost of these repairs to be close to $1 million but did not disclose a proposed construction date.

Meanwhile, as part of the fiscal year 2025 bond bill, the department received $250,000 to study replacing the pier. But it has noted several challenges with doing so before the study formally begins.

The first challenge is the projected cost: Officials stated they would expect to pay $22 million to replace the pier at its 2012 specifications.

There is also the issue of shoaling near Breakwater Harbor, which has filled in certain underwater areas and would require mitigation to return fishing to 2000s levels, the agency noted.

Additionally, the department warned that a major storm could hit the area, destroying the pier and/or making conditions unsuitable for reconstruction or replacement of the structure.

This year’s inspection, which could reveal other challenges, is set for the fall.