Section of Cape Henlopen State Park pier closed
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has announced that the last 145 feet of the 1,300-foot Cape Henlopen State Park fishing pier will remain closed until structural repairs can be made.
Additionally, the public will not be able to access certain closed-off sections along the side of the pier and two areas marked as no-standing zones. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation decided to close this portion of the World War II-era pier in November 2023, during an annual engineering review.
The engineering review, now completed, produced a detailed evaluation of the entire structure, including an underwater review of the pilings by a dive team. The structural repair design details are finalized and the preliminary cost estimate for repairs is close to $1 million. Once funding for repairs is acquired, construction is expected to take three to six months.
Though the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation has completed repair projects to the pier over the last 15 years, the pier has lasted well beyond its life expectancy. Repairs include removal of the unsafe, dilapidated end of the pier in 2012 and the addition of pile jackets in 2021.
