Remediation work on the historic Workshop Jetty in Williamstown has finally begun, four years after it was closed to the public.
In late 2021, the World War II-era jetty located in the Seaworks precinct was fenced off after its structure was found to have deteriorated to the point where it was too dangerous to be used.
After commencing pre-construction, surveying and modelling in February, Duratec, the firm engaged by Parks Victoria to repair the jetty, began construction work on Wednesday 19 November.
“We’re essentially building a new wharf underneath the old one,” Durate operations manager Roland Keath said of what the construction work involved.
“We’re lifting a series of three-tonne, twelve-metre-long steel modules to support the entire length of the deck in three rows. These modules will be supported by new steel piles driven through holes we have cut into the deck from above.
“We’ll then tie the modules into the driven steel piles with steel reinforced concrete pile caps, and once cured, we’ll reinstate the deck and all the jewellery (bollards, ladders, kerbing
timber, fendering, new power pedestals) on top.
“There’s a lot of different work fronts, in a large area to do it in, but projects like this show that we can really deliver.”
The remediation is aimed at once again making the jetty safe to access and use and is expected to be finished by early next year.
The jetty was originally constructed in 1942 and rebuilt in 1976/77 by the Port of Melbourne Authority and has long served as a key mooring site for tall ships and other historic vessels.
