Tuesday 12 August 2014
The Environment Department has announced that works to repair the sea wall at Bulwer Avenue will start on Thursday 14th August 2014.
The extended period of storms earlier in the year took a toll on the island's sea defences. Inspections showed that areas of the wall at Bulwer Avenue required pointing and masonry repairs over a 100m length. Sections of the base of the wall were also undermined due to a combination of the action of the sea and shifting shingle levels removing some of the stones and clay at the foundations.
Repairs to Bulwer Avenue wall have been given the highest coastal defence priority by the Environment Board. The sea wall alongside the car park towards Richmond Corner is one of the most important on the island as it protects a high level of infrastructure essential to the whole community. It is the major arterial route between St Peter Port and the northern parishes. The coast road and adjacent grassland carry the full range of utilities including high pressure gas, high voltage electricity, the public gravity sewer, pumping main and telecoms. It is also an area of high density residential and commercial property.
Deputy Barry Brehaut, Deputy Minister for the Environment Department, said:
"The Environment Department is pleased that the works at Bulwer Avenue are underway. The estimated costs of this repair are high when compared with the repair of the breach at Vazon but this is a 'spend to save' investment in the coastal defence at a very important site. A failure here could cause major disruption or damage to one of the busiest roads in the island. Equally damage or disruption to any of the vital services carried within a few metres of the wall could considerably impact the operation of companies in the area or essential services such as sewage disposal."
The States Property Services Project Engineers will oversee the repair works. The masonry repairs will be undertaken by Stoneworks Guernsey Ltd. A contractor for the rock armour works will be agreed following a tender process and this is likely to be confirmed in mid-September.
Stonemasons will be working on pointing repairs on both sides of the wall over a period of approximately ten weeks. As the masonry works progress granite will be stockpiled in preparation for the installation of a rock armour toe. The rock armour toe will protect the base of the wall from future undermining and will also help to reduce the energy of waves hitting the wall in rough sea conditions. The rock armour works will be undertaken over a period of weeks according to tidal conditions and it is intended these will be completed by mid-December.
The contractors' equipment will be placed within compounds in the Bulwer Avenue car park and there will be access for public parking in the northern section of the car park up to 4th October. From 4th October the compounds to accommodate works by Guernsey Water will take up the remaining area of the car park to the north. On completion of the Guernsey Water Works the Environment Department's contractors will use that section of the car park for the stock piling of stone pending the commencement of the rock armour toe.
The current estimated total cost for the masonry and rock armour repair works is over £500,000, a large proportion of which is for the purchase of stone for the rock armour toe. The full costs of the repairs to Bulwer Avenue sea wall are not yet determined as the tender process for the installation of the rock armour toe has yet to be undertaken.
ENDS
