The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority is moving ahead on a $1-million project to replace original wood pilings and complete other structural, mechanical and electrical repairs at the Broughton Street Pier on the Inner Harbour.
Work is expected to start in late October and be completed by the end of March to limit disruption to businesses that operate from the pier, including eatery Red Fish Blue Fish and a whale watching company, which usually close after the summer, and the Harbour Ferry Company, which will relocate temporarily to the Hyack Terminal.
Victoria Fire will temporarily relocate its vessels.
Liveaboards on nearby docks won’t be relocated, although some may experience interruptions of water and power services during construction, said a harbour authority spokeswoman.
The harbour authority has contracted Salish Sea Industrial Services for construction management and Herold Engineering Limited to lead engineering design for the repairs.
“The Broughton Street Pier facility is an important feature of Victoria’s working harbour,” Ian Robertson, chief executive of the harbour authority, said in a statement.
He said the Broughton Street Pier hosts about 250,000 visitors a year, including Greater Victoria residents, tourists and moorage guests, and the pier “symbolizes the live-work-play harbour that GVHA pro-actively supports.”
The path and ramp at the pier, which will also be improved, connects the David Foster Harbour Pathway between the Inner Harbour causeway and Hyack Marina.
The project is being financed from revenue generated from cruise ships berthing fees at the Ogden Point Terminal, another harbour authority asset.
The harbour authority said it is working with federal officials to complete the work within “protection windows” for marine life and migratory birds.
The authority is also required to obtain navigational aeronautical clearances from Transport Canada when the barge and crane required for the work is moving through the harbour.
The harbour master will issue notices to seaplane and ferry companies as required, said the authority.
Other assets under control of the harbour authority include the Inner Harbour Causeway, Ship Point and Fisherman’s Wharf.
