In 2020, the Gulf Panhandle was hit with frequent hurricanes. The states of Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida endured numerous encounters of heavy rain, high winds, and storm surges.

One of the hurricanes made landfall near the Gulf Shores of Alabama with winds exceeding 100 mph. The high winds resulted in the destruction of homes and businesses. Multiple marinas experienced the loss of boats that were either destroyed or tossed ashore.

In addition, many of the wooden walking surfaces of docks, piers, and marinas were damaged or missing multiple decking boards.

This was the case with one pier located in a beach resort near the Florida state line. The pier structure serves as part of a network of walking paths connecting the marsh area with the boat dock.

After a thorough post-storm inspection, it was determined that the pier had structurally compromised walking surfaces throughout certain sections of the structure. When examining options for walking surfaces, the resort decided that the replacement cycle of wood and elevated costs of maintenance was no longer a feasible option.

The resort requested that the new walking surface be resistant to ultraviolet degradation, corrosion, slippage, and pests. Durability was an important factor to ensure many years of maintenance-free service. With decades of proven performance, DURAGRID® I-4000 was introduced as an economical and ADA compliant material for the pier’s walking surface that met all the resort’s requests.

In total, over 7,100 square feet of DURAGRID® pultruded grating was installed at this pier. Since the installation, multiple resort members have commented how this material has significantly improved the design and function of the pier.

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