The new Bob Hall Pier on Padre Island incorporates cutting-edge "windstorm engineering" designed to survive future hurricanes that destroyed its predecessor.James Maddalone, owner of Maddalone Development and the local contracto r responsible for the pier's decking and handrails, explained how the structure is built to do battle with Mother Nature and win."And so for man to try and do war against the water is really crazy. Ultimately, the question is: Who's going to win?" Maddalone said.When hurricanes Hanna and Harvey went to war against the old Bob Hall Pier, Mother Nature was the resounding winner. Maddalone set out to solve this problem using lessons learned from windstorm engineering principles. New Bob Hall Pier designed to withstand hurricanes with innovative engineering"I remember after Harvey I spent two years in Port Aransas rebuilding. I was standing in a house that was built to windstorm requirements. Nailing patterns, steel, Simpson brackets. I was standing in a house that was just blown apart but was still together," Maddalone said.Those same principles were applied to the specially treated lumber that thousands of visitors will soon be walking on.The pier features 200 "pop-off panels" designed to detach during storm surge, allowing the concrete and steel foundation to absorb the force while remaining intact."When the water surges up... these panels we're looking at will actually come free. It allows the pier itself to stand, which is the concrete and the steel in the bed of the ocean. That allows the pier to take the force," Maddalone said.In short, the new Bob Hall Pier is designed to be easily repaired even after extreme weather events."You might lose portions of the wood structure.... but the concrete is staying," Maddalone said.The pier includes over 3,000 linear feet of ADA-compliant handrails.Everything is designed through the lens of doing battle with the next hurricane and winning."What failed and how it failed... you study that and then develop new methods of construction so things can better withstand when the devastation happens, when the hurricane takes place, when the flood takes place," Maddalone said.When asked about rod holders on the pier, Maddalone said it wasn't in the engineering specifications but he's "pretty certain" it will be an add-on in the future.For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less