Final marine phase of Woods Hole Terminal Reconstruction Project to begin

FALMOUTH (Sept. 4, 2020) – Construction at the Woods Hole ferry terminal property is scheduled to resume immediately after the Labor Day holiday weekend, the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority announced today. The work represents the final year of the marine portion of the project and the project’s fourth phase overall.

Weather permitting, the marine construction at the terminal is scheduled to resume on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, when marine contractor Jay Cashman Inc. plans to begin its mobilization for the year. The focus of this phase will be the construction of the new southern slip, which will now be known as Slip No. 1, and the second passenger pier. As with the north pier now in place, the southern pier will include both a fixed and a floating pier and a butterfly glass canopy. The new sheet pile bulkhead will be extended 110 feet to its southern terminus at the property line.

A barge with a large Ringer crane will return to the site to drive monopiles, freeing the landside crane so it can be used to construct a new passenger pier between Slips No. 1 and 2 (the southernmost and middle slips, respectively).

A total of 87 piles will be driven this season for the foundation of the structures as follows:

• 10 monopile dolphins;
• 38 16-inch diameter piles for the fixed passenger pier; and
• 39 18-inch diameter piles for the head dolphins and the transfer bridge.

The new slip is scheduled to be completed in May 2021.

The Authority will continue its vibration monitoring efforts to gauge the effects of the pile driving on the surrounding properties. Instruments will be located in the basement of the Authority’s temporary terminal building and on a nearby residential property. The Authority plans to share the results of the vibration monitoring on a weekly basis in project update emails to the community.

Starting this week, the weekly project emails are now being sent through the Authority’s new eNews service, GovDelivery from Granicus. The eNews service allows for a more robust weekly update that will include photos, graphics, and links to other resources about the project. Signup information is available at the terminal project’s homepage, www.steamshipauthority.com/WHterminalreconstruction, and the weekly updates will continue to be posted on the Authority’s website as well.

As the project progresses, traffic patterns and ferry loading and unloading procedures will change to accommodate construction. The Authority thanks its customers, neighbors and the communities it serves for their patience and understanding during this process.

For more information about the project and its timeline, please visit https://www.steamshipauthority.com/WHterminalreconstruction.

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