Works to accommodate more cruisers in Split’s harbour, but they will be late in completion.
Future berths for cruise ships on the outside of the breakwater in Split have finally became visible. After underwater work has been done, now it is possible to see the contours of the new port, 265 meters long, which should be completed by the spring of next year, just prior to the new cruising ship season, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on November 5, 2015.
The original deadline for completion of the first phase of construction works was the end of this year, in accordance with the contract between the companies “Pomgrad Inženjering” and “Viadukt” and the Split Port Authority. However, due to unforeseen circumstances and partly due to bad weather as well, the deadline has been postponed by about three months. Accordingly, the second phase of the project, which includes construction of the second pier, 245 metres long, will also be delayed by three months and is expected to be completed by September.
“During the construction of reinforced concrete pillars which will carry the structure, we came across a solid rock, so the drilling required much more time and labour. No one could predict such problems. That is why we have ordered another set of heavy machinery, in order to speed up the work. As for the second phase of the works and the construction of the second pier, we have done underwater excavations”, Zoran Šarčević, a project manager at “Pomgrad Inženjering”, said.
The first phase of the project includes the construction of the western pier with a central ramp, while the second stage includes the construction of the eastern pier. The pillars are drilled to an average depth of 24 metres below the sea level, including seven metres at the very bottom through the rock. For the cruisers which are longer than 320 metres in length, the end of the breakwater has been extended by 20 metres. A lighthouse from the times of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is also being renovated, and that project should be finished around New Year.
