Minister Burch: Work To Start On Kings Wharf

November 16, 2018

Speaking in the House of Assembly today [Nov 16], Minister of Public Works Lt/Col David Burch provided information on work that will commence at the Kings Wharf in the Royal Naval Dockyard, saying that “works will commence tomorrow, Saturday November 17th and will rapidly gain speed as we move quickly to meet this critical time line.”

The Minister said, “There is a possibility that the replacement terminal will not be fully completed by the start of the 2019 cruise ship season – a contingency plan to accommodate this eventuality is in place that will not delay the start of the cruise ship season.

“The original budget for these works was $20 Million but with savings on the piles and the use of Precast slabs, our actual target price is in the region of $15 Million including contingencies.”

The Minister’s full statement follows below:

Good Morning Mr. Speaker.

I rise this morning to report on works soon to commence at the Kings Wharf in the Royal Naval Dockyard – but before doing so a historical perspective might be useful.

Mr. Speaker, the Royal Naval Dockyard has two deep-water cruise berths: King’s Wharf and Heritage Wharf. King’s Wharf the older of the two is a 300 foot, by 80 foot suspended deck structure supporting the cruise ship terminal buildings. The main structure comprises a structural steel frame encased in reinforced concrete, with reinforced concrete slabs – constructed in 1987 at a cost of 9 Million dollars.

In 2014 a comprehensive inspection was conducted by the UK firm Mott Macdonald regarding the state of Kings Wharf. Deck problems and other deficiencies were clearly identified. At that time the cost of fixing the wharf and terminal building was estimated at more than 20M. In spite of the production of a 77 page report and recommendations – nothing was done.

Mr. Speaker, in 2017 the ministry commissioned an underwater inspection of 27 structures across the Island as part of a wider plan to investigate the state of our infrastructure. The Kings Wharf was included and the inspection showed obvious signs of additional structural problems that needed further investigation. A concrete expert, Stantec of Halifax, Nova Scotia was hired to evaluate the state of the actual Concrete, Rebars and recommend the best course of action.

The conclusion was that 80 % of the rebars were deliminated, concrete was cracking, and layers were separating. The visual inspection and laboratory testing showed that the actual concrete and rebar could not be salvaged. Additionally, since the building is sitting on the deck Slabs, it too will have to be demolished and rebuilt.

Mr. Speaker, the net result is the Building and Deck of Kings Wharf need to be completely rebuilt.

The Piles, however, are in good condition – so they will be reused.

There is no immediate concerns for ships berthing as the lateral capacity of the pier is not compromised.

The Dolphins require maintenance to prevent early corrosion but are in good condition and will be addressed in the next phase.

Obviously construction needs to occur during the off -season from November 2018 to April 2019.

So with that background – the Ministry initiated an accelerated repair/replacement program in order to meet the critical deadline of April 2019. The window of opportunity to construct the new deck is from mid-November 2018 to March of 2019 during the non-cruise ship season.

Mr. Speaker, in order to complete the project in such a short window, and to avoid potential delays due to the current high demand for concrete on island, a method of precast concrete slabs and beams will be utilized for 85% of the works. Using precast concrete will also increase the lifespan of the work as low reactivity aggregates and fly ash [commonly used in Europe and North America, but not Bermuda] will be added to the mix to minimise corrosion of the reinforcing steel and preserving the concrete.

In order for the slabs to be available this month, the precast company needed to be contracted by the end of August. Due to this accelerated timeframe, the Department recommended Precast Systems, Inc. of New Jersey. They had previously supplied 25 concrete slabs to create a temporary pedestrian walkway atop the compromised deck at King’s Wharf earlier this year following a competitive bidding process. The Department also performed due diligence by inspecting the company’s processing plant in March this year, and confirmed the necessary quality control systems were in place and the slabs arrived on time and were of a very high quality.

Mr. Speaker, having already gone through a competitive bidding process the Department entered into direct negotiations with Precast Systems for the supply of the deck slabs & beams for the complete refurbishment project.

The Ministry then explored ways to transport the slabs and associated supplies to the island to meet the very tight timelines. An agreement was struck with Bermuda International Shipping to transport a third of the supplies on three weekly sailings. Once the cargo ship has been unloaded on Hamilton Docks and left the port; a barge will come alongside to collect the supplies, for transport to Dockyard, thereby avoiding unnecessary wear and tear on the roads.

Mr. Speaker, in January 2019, the remaining two thirds of the shipment, which includes the slabs, will be transported to Bermuda on a cargo ship chartered specifically for this purpose and unloaded directly in the Royal Naval Dockyard at the wharf adjacent to the cement silos. This proposed approach meets the demands of the construction schedule and results in a savings of approximately $400,000 in transportation costs alone.

In August, experienced contracting companies were invited to bid on the project to demolish the existing building and concrete deck, and construct the new deck. The construction of a replacement deck will be done using the precast concrete beams and slabs along with contractor supplied in-situ concrete on to the existing steel piles.

Mr. Speaker, 6 local companies and 1 overseas company expressed interest in bidding on the project, however, only 2 local companies and the overseas one submitted bids. The lowest bidder, at $2.97 million dollars, a Bermudian company, was awarded the contract in September.

To expand the life expectancy of the wharf a number of other actions will be implemented during the construction process – :

Usually for long term corrosion protection one of the following elements would be included in the design – Fly Ash, Cathodic Protection, Corrosion Inhibitor and Low reactivity aggregates. In this case we are using ALL of those.

  • Strict quality control will be employed on and off site by an Independent lab.
  • Top of the line 6,000 psi concrete will be used.
  • Corrosion inhibitor will be added to the concrete to make sure we will get the most durable concrete for our harsh environment.
  • Cathodic protection will be added in critical locations to make sure we get a lifespan of at least 75 years for this new infrastructure.
  • The new wharf, will be built with proper loading to accommodate the next generation of cruise ships.

Mr. Speaker, there is a possibility that the replacement terminal will not be fully completed by the start of the 2019 cruise ship season – a contingency plan to accommodate this eventuality is in place that will not delay the start of the cruise ship season.

The original budget for these works was $20 Million but with savings on the piles and the use of Precast slabs, our actual target price is in the region of $15 Million including contingencies.

Mr. Speaker, finally, I am particularly pleased to announce that the project manager and director for this project is young Bermudian Civil Engineer, Ms. Carmen Trott. She was a trainee engineer with the Ministry a decade ago and subsequently left for the private sector. Since January of this year Carmen has been seconded to the Ministry and will oversee the project to conclusion.

Works will commence tomorrow, Saturday November 17th and will rapidly gain speed as we move quickly to meet this critical time line.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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Comments (29)

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  1. DeOnion says:

    Clearly the work needs doing but where will the $15m come from?

    • DeOnion's Respondah says:

      Are you that slow…didn’t the OBA make us some extra change with having the Americas Cup…duh…you gotta spend money to make money…duh

  2. Joe Bloggs says:

    Yea, another $45 million being pumped into the construction industry!

  3. Vote no more says:

    Taking bets on timeline/overruns:)

    • Child of 2000 says:

      No bet!

    • Vote no more's respondah says:

      So you mean to tell me you never spilled milk or water?

      Damn, I’d love to meet you, you gotta be as perfect as Jesus

  4. comfortably numb says:

    The cost won’t stay at 15,000,000 if Zane gets involved.

  5. justasuggestion says:

    Why don’t you concentrate on finnishing the safety rail you removed on South Shore. Counting down until theres a fatality. Over 2months and only some cones to protect the public from the drop overboard and the iron spikes poking out

    • Vote no more says:

      Couldn’t agree more. Pathetic actually.

    • justasuggestion's respondah says:

      Concentrate on not letting OBA hoodwink you again…sigh…take off di shades man they blinding your intelligence…sigh

    • VJ says:

      King’s Wharf was an accident waiting to happen. I’m quite surprised it hasn’t already collapsed into the sea.

    • Truth says:

      Or demolishing the Canadian Hotel

  6. Kevin says:

    again we spend many more millions of dollars to repair a project that went millions over budget and cost millions to repair already ….what does that tell you

    5 P’s ……yup you got it poor planning leads to piss poor performance

    hats off plp you are to be congratulated for another great job

    • Kev's Respondah says:

      Kevin, you are forgetting your OBA has a role in this…I guess you don’t remember the OBA getting repairs done I time for the Norwegian Breakaway’s arrival May 15, 2013.

      Because OBA/UBP fans are so hell bent on the PLP you silly people forgetting how bogus the OBA is….sigh

      • extracity says:

        Dude – that was Heritage Wharf. This is King’s Wharf. Fack bie, get your facts right before trying to be clever.

        And check the date for Breakaway’s arrival too. You will find it was a little later than 2013…..

        Oh, and it wasn’t repairs, it was an extension to allow a larger cruise ship. But don’t let any of those three “minor” flaws in your argument get in the way of a good anti-OBA rant.

        Overall 4/5. Could do much better.

      • Eye 4 and Eye says:

        Why was that work done? Think about it,or did you forget that work was to fix poor done by the previous contractors and administration. Hopefully, the same xontarctor were not “awarded” this project.

        The OBA took on the largest contraction project and one that was time sensitive. Building the AC village. It was done under budget and finished ahead of schedule.

        When has the PLP EVER done that. Anyone ..anyone? Name just one in 15 years?

      • VJ says:

        KR, you are correct. The OBA had a report stating that King’s Wharf was in danger of collapsing. Both WEDCO and the OBA procrastinated on getting the project done. It HAD to be done, as there was serious risk of injury if they went one more cruise ship season with it as it was.

      • Under 25 and TIRED! says:

        Stop. That whole project went over budget when brown was in power. When they built the stuff you are talking about OBA didn’t even exist. STOP the BS…… we ALL know that project cost close to 60 million under the PLP…. did you get any of that?!?!? Sounds like you did. But you all just blind to simple facts. Goodnight. Where is the people’s campain now? If OBA was doing tings the PLP doing now, we would all be on the hil, no busses, no students learning, no productivity when that happens. PLP can do what ever they want Scott free because people would rather them run the country to the ground the someone try to build up from the failures and spending of the PLP. Wake up. I voted PLP and I’m
        Pised at their performance. It is unprofessional tbh. We look dumb. Independence is not the issue we need to tackle. But when the greeen gets power they want to be President not premier. SAD. Do better Bermuda… our party’s and politics are are joke. JOKE. Time to be real ppl. The island is too small for all of this.

      • trump supporter says:

        And why did the OBA have to repair this so soon after work was completed. IJS

      • Kevin says:

        Kevs resondah
        You hit on the head well done
        OBA had to spend money on repairs to a plp project thanks for clarifying that and at the same time highlighting the fact that the plp did a piss poor job in the beginning

    • What?? says:

      Not the same wharf.

  7. Sister Grace says:

    Yeah OBA had to fix the mess that the PLP made and paid millions upon millions for to Correia Construction and the great Island Construction. Get you facts straight before you comment.

  8. LaV says:

    “Because OBA/UBP fans are so hell bent on the PLP you silly people forgetting how bogus the OBA is….sigh”

    That doesn’t make any sense. Clearly, you’re angry…and racist.

    • wahoo says:

      Frankly I am surprised that the most Hon. minster is willing to do this without a promise from the cruise ships and not to invite the Governor to any future events. Just kidding about the most Hon. part

  9. eyes wide open says:

    when is minister Burch going to start work?

  10. ROGER LAMBERT says:

    The King’s Wharf NEEDS Repair. From its construction to now with overruns it has been a revenue maker, like the airport. Things go bad & GLAD the Improvement is being done, just hope it doesn’t take double the time.
    With the Cruise business Flourishing World Wide, I’d imagine it will repay itself in 7 years & be good for another 27.

  11. ROGER LAMBERT says:

    The Kings Wharf NEEDS to be Redone. GLAD it is being done now with larger ships in mind too. From its original construction of over costs it has been a revenue maker as the airport is. I just hope that it is done in the time gestimated & if not finished by then, it doesn’t greatly inconvenience the THOUSANDS who will look forward to berthing in Dockyard, next to the land.