GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — Lake Michigan’s near-record water levels could have an affect on how long it takes to wrap up work on the last phase of Grand Haven’s south pier reconstruction project.
According to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Area Engineer Tom O’Bryan, the lake is nearly 6 inches higher than it was last spring.
Officials tell the Grand Haven Tribune, the pier resurfacing project will resume in May, and the work will affect the outer, lower section of the pier and require approximately 75 working days to complete. Given the increased water levels, wave action could have an even greater impact on construction plans, they added.
“Everybody wants this project done, but it will take longer if boaters don’t adhere to the ‘no wake’ (warning) as they come in and out of the channel,” O’Bryan said.
As a result of the anticipated delays due to water and weather, the completion date for the pier resurfacing project is now expected to be October. It was previously expected to be done by the 2018 Coast Guard Festival.
“Any amount of water splashing up on the surface adds a massive amount of time to the day’s work, as we have to stop, get out of the way and wait for the water to drain away before we can continue with that activity,” said Terry Andrews, lead weld and fabricator foreman for the main contractor, The King Co.
Construction officials say any amount of surface water will interfere with pouring concrete, welding and installing the steel forms.
“The guys are working within 6 inches of the water for a lot of the work that needs to be done, and the water is definitely an issue,” said Dave Herweyer, a King Co. engineer. “Even less than a foot now of a wave causes problems.”
The catwalk cannot be reinstalled until the pier resurfacing is complete. Even so, crews from The King Co. are currently rebuilding the catwalk structure offsite. This work includes fabricating 56 new arches, or “bents,” and restoring one of each of the three types of bents used in the original catwalk. The three restored bents will be incorporated into the reinstalled catwalk.
Grand Haven Mayor Geri McCaleb, City Manager Pat McGinnis and Save the Catwalk chairperson Erin Turrell visited The King Co. on March 22 to assess the project’s progress.
Herweyer said the bents will be completed by August and stored inside until they can be reinstalled on the completed pier in spring 2019.
If the pier resurfacing project is finished before October, The King Co. plans to pour most, if not all, of the concrete bases for the bents. For the sake of structural integrity, all of the bents must be installed and tied together with their steel rails, and can’t be partially installed and left out for the winter.
“Unfortunately, Mother Nature has pushed back our plans to have the catwalk back by 2018, but I’m confident that we can count on celebrating a newly installed catwalk in spring 2019,” Turrell said.
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