By Beth David, Editor
The rebuilding of the bulkheads at Union Wharf in Fairhaven is in the final phase. The east, west and south sides have been finished. Construction crews are now working on the north side.
The work consists of driving 50-foot steel sheet piles into the ground; then connecting them with an ibeam; then using a tie-back anchor system to backfill the sheets; and capping it all with concrete.
The wharf is closed to the larger commercial boats that use pier, but it is open to the small lobster boats on a portion of the east side known as the lobster basin.
Fairhaven Harbormaser Tim Cox said this phase closed down the wharf in November, and it should be reopened in April.
The project has cost more than $7.5 million so far, with the current work on the north side costing about $2.5 million. The town has been successful in getting grant money to fund the project, which started about eight years ago.
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- Fairhaven Harbormaster Tim Cox points out the “sheets” that form the frame of the wall at Union Wharf in Fairhaven, which are 50 feet long, with most of that length driven into the bottom. The ibeam holds the sheets together. Next will come concrete. Photo by Beth David.
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- The “sheets” that form the frame of the wall at Union Wharf in Fairhaven are 50 feet long, with most of that length driven into the bottom. The ibeam holds the sheets together. Next will come concrete. The nearly $8 million project should be just about finished in April. Photo by Beth David.
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- The bulkhead on the west side of Union Wharf in Fairhaven has been rebuilt and is an example of what the north side will look like when finished, work that is ongoing now and should be finished in April. Photo by Beth David.
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- The bulkhead on the southwest corner of Union Wharf in Fairhaven has been rebuilt and is an example of what the north side will look like when finished, work that is ongoing now and should be finished in April. Photo by Beth David.
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