West coast slipway repairs start today

Monday 07 October 2019

Emergency repairs to a slipway just north of Fort Grey are starting today.

The slip, which is on the coast road between Rue de Douit du Moulin and Rue des Salines, was damaged in storms at the beginning of the year.

To deal with that, temporary stabilisation measures were put in place, but those have become undermined over the course of the summer, so more work is required to ensure the slipway will hold up through the winter. 

Further to that, on Monday 30 September, an inspection of the slipway found that in addition to the undermining of the earlier work, there is a sizeable void underneath the slipway running for a number of metres. 

A spokesperson for Environment & Infrastructure said: "This now places the slipway at a greater risk of further failure and also poses a significant health and safety concern. Given the ongoing stormy weather the decision was taken to enact a repair at the earliest opportunity in order to stabilise the slipway. The neap tides on the week of the 7th represent the best opportunity to undertake the work and limit the risk of further damage."

The work will see the void opened up and filled with concrete. The previous works will be enhanced in order to protect the exposed interior of the slipway and an additional measure of rock armour will be placed in the remaining void in order to reduce the scouring effect of the tides. 

It is all expected to be completed by Friday 11 October.

Pictured top: The slip way is just north of Fort Grey, between the Rue de Douit du Moulin and Rue des Salines.