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Moniz: Heritage Wharf work on track

Against the clock: Work continues to get the Heritage Wharf ready for the arrival of the Norwegian Breakaway

Progress is moving at an “impressive rate” on the Heritage Wharf upgrade as a round-the-clock effort continues to get the dock ready for the May 15 arrival of the giant cruise ship the Norwegian Breakaway, according to Public Works Minister Trevor Moniz.In his latest update, the Minister said the project “went according to plan” last week.“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 refixing reinforcement, however, the aim was to save time on the schedule and this was achieved,” he said.He noted that “pile driving activities on the breasting dolphins (mooring structures) is complete and most of the piles have been filled to plug level with concrete”.Said Mr Moniz: “We took some time last week to reposition 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 today with further pours later this week.“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,” he added.“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 which we hope will improve the visitor’s experience.”A new landscaping plan is being developed with the assistance of the Department of Conservation Services and Wedco to provide a more attractive arrivals area.The Minister concluded: “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 organised and high quality manner. Everyone working here is rightly proud of the job they are doing for Bermuda.”