Bob Hall Pier, A Case Study in Resilience and Durability

Bob Hall Pier is a recreational fishing pier on the beach on Padre Island. This pier is an infrastructure project that incorporates climate adaptation, resource management, durability and resilience into the design. We will discuss how the design criteria was developed and materials were selected to incorporate durability, resiliency and forward thinking practices into the design for a 50 year lifespan. Bob Hall Pier is 1,250 ft long with a 20 ft wide stem extending from the shoreline into the Gulf. The pier head at the end is 108 ft wide and 49 ft deep. The stem and pier head are larger than the previous pier and it has been wildly popular with the public since opening in March 2026. The pier is supported on steel pipe piles with two piles spaced at 33 ft on center along the stem. The pipe piles support precast concrete beams which support timber popoff panels. The precast concrete beams are oriented along the pier stem in a innovative approach to reduce the height of the pier structure and therefore reduce the wave loading on the pier. The timber popoff panels are not connected to the concrete structure and are free to “popoff” when waves reach the pier structure. The pier is designed for the forces resulting from waves reaching above the height of the pier resulting in the pier being alternately submerged and above water as the wave move toward the shoreline.