Image by Flickr user c.harnish

A maintenance project is under way at the Folly Beach Edwin S. Taylor Pier.

The project will require occasional portions of the 17-year-old pier proper, as well as the diamond head platform at the pier’s end, to close until the project’s completion. Most of the main walkway of the Folly Beach Fishing Pier will remain open and operational for public use, including fishing and walking. The estimated time of completion on the repairs is mid-February 2013.

Pier operating hours are: November, 8 a.m. – sunset; December through February, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The project’s contractor, Dock and Marine, is scheduled to be on site from now until Feb. 14, 2013 to replace metal hardware and to repair support piles that attach to the main walkway decking of the pier. The replacement of the hardware is labor-intensive, with workers moving from piling to piling. Support piles that need repair will have a fiber cover wrapped around them, and will be filled with grout material to improve their structural support.

The Folly Beach Edwin S. Taylor Fishing Pier is owned and operated by the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission, and is located at 101 E. Arctic Avenue. This breathtaking landmark pier stretches 1,045 feet into the Atlantic Ocean. At 25-feet wide and 23-feet above sea level, the pier is the second longest on the East Coast and offers not only spectacular views, but a variety of fishing tournaments, special events and dining. CCPRC also runs the Mount Pleasant Pier, which is open all winter for normal operations and great fishing opportunities.

For updates on the pier’s progress, visit ccprc.com.