Naples Pier Rebuild on the Horizon

The Naples Pier is getting closer to being rebuilt, and Marco will be seeing some of the effects. Specifically, county-owned land under the Jolley Bridge will be used as a temporary staging site for demolition debris and Pier pilings.  

The original plan was to have trucks carrying the pier pilings come over the Jolley Bridge into Marco and turn around to access the site, which is located on the east side of Collier Boulevard. Collier County Commissioners found this suggested route unfavorable, a decision agreed upon by the City. 

After inquiry from Coastal Breeze News, Bruce Selfon, Project Manager for the Naples Pier Re-Build, wrote that a new access proposal “has received a favorable tentative response from FDOT.” Currently, a three-point turn north of the Jolley Bridge at an existing median cut-through will be utilized, with traffic stopped in both directions. They will be demonstrating this turn on December 10 to confirm its feasibility, and according to Selfon, “If successful, our contractor will pursue the formal Maintenance of Traffic plan with FDOT and coordinate with local law enforcement.” Initial estimates from the trucking company show that it should take less than ten minutes to complete the turn. 

Hurricane Ian brought catastrophic damage to the Naples Pier on September 28, 2022. Demolition is expected to take nine months, with 18 more months of construction.