A large crane was barged in to the San Francisco Ferry Terminal in August to perform dock repairs to the Golden Gate Ferry berth. On June 7, a Vallejo Ferry vessel experienced a control problem, causing the vessel to collide with the inner berth fendering at the San Francisco Ferry Terminal, damaging the guide pile. The damage caused Golden Gate Ferry to immediately discontinue use of the berth.
Published: September, 2007
It was initially thought that the damaged guide pile could be fixed within a few days. However, during repairs, it was discovered that the damage was more significant than thought. The existing 140-foot long, 4-foot diameter steel piling was broken below the mud line during the collision, necessitating the removal of the existing piling and installation of a new pile. Since a new pile cannot be placed in the same location as the damaged pile, a new guide frame was required to connect the existing berth pile to the new berth.
The District retained a marine engineering firm and contractor to perform the repair work. The fabrication of the piling and guide frame were performed at the contractor’s facility and barged to the terminal and installed. The District filed documentation regarding the proposed repairs pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the contractor used a bubble curtain when driving the piling in order to avoid environmental impacts associated with this work.
