Work is underway to improve the Port Haney Wharf on the Fraser River.
The City of Maple Ridge is making repairs to the historic wharf, and the first phase has been mostly completed. It will see the replacement of top rails and several posts on the top section of the wharf that have deteriorated over time.
Phase two is to repair the floating dock. It has been removed, and the entrance blocked.
According to a city release, after workers removed the deck planks of the floating dock it was determined that the flotation system sustained significant damage from floating ice during December’s subzero temperatures, and from debris carried by the unprecedented November rain events.
As a result, the floating dock section has been removed and will be completely replaced, rather than repaired.
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The city will be installing a ‘shear boom’ east of the wharf which will help deflect debris and ice in the future, protecting the investment in the new floating dock.
The work on the Port Haney Wharf is expected to be complete in mid to late April, barring delays in needed materials caused by supply chain delays.
The city Facebook page announced the work, and there were numerous citizen suggestions for further improvements, such as riverfront walkways as in Fort Langley and Osprey Village in Pitt Meadows, and even more waterfront businesses as seen in New Westminster and Port Moody.
The city describes the wharf as historic, because from about 1870 to 1920, Port Haney was the commercial hub of the district of Maple Ridge, with a busy railway station and active river trade. However, a series of fires devastated the aging buildings in the port. Then, with the opening of the Lougheed Highway around 1930, commercial activity moved north to the present town centre.
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