Months after the government announced its decision to provide improved docking facilities at Keeling Point, the structure will be completely rebuilt.
This announcement came shortly after the pier collapsed on Thursday, sending fishermen and their catch into the water.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne – who visited the location on Friday – announced that Meridian Construction Ltd, the same company that is constructing the new cruise piers in St John’s Harbour, will be undertaking the repairs.
“So we’ve gotten on to Meridian and we’ve asked them to mobilise some material immediately and to start the repairs as soon as possible,” Browne said.
“I’m expecting that by Monday the latest, they should be able to get the material and to start the repairs.”
While conceding that the repairs should have been done months ago, Browne said that the well needed upgrades were delayed by coronavirus-related challenges.
“We took a decision prior to Covid to repair the Keeling Point Pier. Unfortunately, you know, we got distracted as a result of Covid and did not move quickly to complete or to start the repairs, for that matter,” he stated
Conley Browne,the project manager for Meridian Construction Ltd, explained that the wharf will be demolished and then rebuilt.
”We’ll be stripping the complete deck and put a total new deck there so they will have a totally new Keeling Point. We’ll have all materials on site and start working Monday. So, we’ll start strip it Monday of the material, as we strip, we’ll like to replace the material the same time,” he said.
Browne estimated that the work should be completed within a week.
