LYNN — The Frederick B. Willis Fishing Pier is set to reopen in May as the renovation project by the Department of Conservation & Recreation enters its final stages of construction.
The pier sits between the Saugus River and Lynn Harbor and is primarily used for recreational fishing and leisure.
Owned and managed by the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR), the pier has been in a state of deterioration for years, Lynn Community Development Director James Marsh said.
The project began in 2020 with construction of the pier beginning in 2021, according to the DCR’s website.
Marsh said the project is on track to finish construction in less than a month and said the city is excited to see the pier restored. He said the new pier will bring more people to the harborfront.
“As development occurs along our harborfront, the pier will be a great resource for new residents living there to utilize,” Marsh said. “Frederick Willis, who this pier was named after, was the 72nd speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and as part of this project we intend to work with the Department of Conservation to rededicate the pier in his honor.”
The project aims to replace the handrails, decking, benches, cross bracing and hardware that is broken or in disrepair.
DCR will also add ADA-accessible fishing stations, fish-cutting boards and filet stations and new backless benches to the pier to attract more patrons to the site.
Working on the project are landscape architects Brown, Richardson + Rowe and Stantec Engineers, DCR said.
The project costs approximately $620,600.
It is one of two DCR projects on each end of the Lynn Waterfront Open Space Master Plan — which stretches from the General Edwards Bridge to the Nahant causeway. The other project is a rehabilitation of the walkaway and green space at Lynn Heritage State Park.
“It’s our goal, as laid out in our Waterfront Master Plan, that these two projects will bookend a continuous boardwalk promenade along our waterfront,” Marsh said. “Public access will also be directed to the pier, allowing anyone to utilize it for fishing or to just take a walk on it and enjoy the scenery.”
Ward 6 Councilor Fred Hogan — who represents the ward where the pier is located — said the reopening and rebuilding will be a financial boon for the city, bringing in tourists and avid fishermen for the spring and summer seasons.
“This pier is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in Lynn,” Hogan said. “It’s going to be part of this public-access project to the waterfront and I’m so happy it’s almost finished for the summer season.”
One person who Hogan said would be very happy about the pier’s reopening is his brother, who fishes for sport.
“My brother fishes all the time,” he said. “He’s going to be fishing there as much as he can this summer.”
