Minister: Dock Work Moving At “Impressive Rate”

The Minister of Public Works Trevor Moniz  today [May 6] advised that last week work on the Heritage Wharf project went according to plan and said “progress is still moving on at an impressive rate.”

The $22.36 million project is scheduled to be completed in time for the arrival of the Norwegian Breakaway cruise ship on May 15th. The 4,000-passenger, 1063-foot long ship will be the largest cruise ship to ever visit Bermuda.

“Pre fixing reinforcement has helped but required accurate pile driving which is not always possible with the variation in ground conditions. Consequently we have spent some time re-fixing reinforcement, however, the aim was to save time on the schedule and this was achieved,” Minister Moniz said.

Pile driving activities on the breasting dolphins [mooring structures] is complete and most of the piles have been filled to plug level with concrete.

The Minister went on to say, “We took some time last week to re-position some of our temporary works piles back from the dock face so that there is no need to remove them before the Breakaway docks. This will give some additional time for concrete curing if it is needed and it allows us to take the Breakaway alongside while we await strength gain in the concrete.

“We have been monitoring the strength gains of the concrete and we are achieving the high early strength that we require. It is prudent however to allow as much time as is possible to guarantee the quality product that we have specified.”

The Minister advised that what remains now to be completed is the steel fixing and forming for the concrete caps. Concrete pours are scheduled for the morning and afternoon of Tuesday, May 7th and further pours later in the week.

“The dock is beaming with activity. As things stand we will have all concrete poured in time ahead of the ships arrival as scheduled. We hope also to strip the concrete forms and present a clean dock face for the Norwegian Breakaway,” the Minister noted.

Deliveries of fenders and bollard templates have arrived in Bermuda on schedule and are awaiting clearance on the docks for installation when the structures are ready for them.

New signage is being procured locally to assist with passenger information and movement through the disembarkation zones through to the ground transportation zones. These signs will be erected over the coming week and new queuing arrangements for the ferries will be installed to help with passenger management.

The Minister also advised that a new landscaping plan is being developed with the assistance of the Department of Conservation Services and WEDCo which will provide a more attractive arrivals area – with shading for the summer months being provided by the natural foliage.

“We have had a good week, concrete is being poured, work will continue on into the night as necessary as we undertake what everyone understands is a huge amount of work in an organized and high quality manner. Everyone working here is rightly proud of the job they are doing for Bermuda,” the Minister concluded.

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