Two weeks of work will be carried out to reshape the breakwater core
Work on the new Cowes Breakwater is scheduled to resume today, 6 October.
Over the next two weeks, Cowes Harbour Commission‘s contractors Boskalis Westminster will be carrying out work to reshape the breakwater core using gravel stored on the breakwater sides.
This will be achieved using an excavator and a floating spud-legged barge.
A consolidation period of eight months will then follow to allow settlement along the breakwater footprint and strength increase of the subsoil. The placement of rock armour and reshaping of the breakwater to its final profile will take place in 2015.
Last month, the installation of the gravel pre-load on the new breakwater was completed, with 51,000m3 of gravel deposited to bring the crest of
the gravel core up to between 3.7 and 4.4 metres above chart datum.
Five
settlement beacons were also installed on the breakwater for on-going
monitoring during a four to six week initial resting period prior to the
gravel pre-load being reshaped up to 5.0m above chart datum this
autumn; the settlement beacons will remain in place until spring 2015.
Photographs of the Cowes Breakwater gravel core credited to: Cowes Harbour Commission