Final phase of breakwater work to begin next week

Work to improve the far east end of the Port Washington breakwater is expected to begin next week, with the project slated to be completed by the end of October.

Michels Corp. of Brownsville has trucked in a barge for the project, Public Works Director Rob Vanden Noven told the Common Council Tuesday. 

The barge, which was brought to the lakefront in sections, is being stored in the parking lot at Newport Shores restaurant, he said.

A crane will be used to put the pieces in the water, where it will be assembled, Vanden Noven said. 

The crane will be brought to Coal Dock Park, where it will be used to hoist supplies onto the barge and remove broken materials taken from the breakwater, he said.

“That will be their on-off location,” he said, noting the park promenade will be closed when materials are loaded and unloaded.

“It shouldn’t be too intrusive,” Vanden Noven said, noting he expects that to occur a couple times a day.

The breakwater will likely be open during the project, he said, except for the work zone on the far east portion of the structure leading to the lighthouse.

Although Vanden Noven said the work is expected to be completed by late October, the project is “super weather dependent,” he said.

The project, which will encompass the roughly 1,000 feet west of the lighthouse, is the last piece of the breakwater to be repaired, providing a safer surface for visitors to walk to the lighthouse.

The city has made a concerted effort to repair the breakwater for the past seven years, lobbying federal officials for funding and hiring a consultant to help find grants to pay for much of the work.

Michels, which was awarded a $1.2 million contract for the work earlier this month, will remove the “loose, delaminated, broken concrete” in that area, anchor steel plating to the sides of the structure, install a new concrete base and finish the walkway with new concrete panels.

The project will be paid for through a combination of grant money and borrowed funds.