An aerial map view of the dock at Port Westward shows the Berth 1 area where a $6.4 million dock upgrade project is currently underway. The Port of St. Helens learned recently that it will have to spend an additional $460,000 to replace rotting pile caps at the dock.
Port commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday, March 22, to approve the unexpected maintenance expense, which will be done as soon as possible in conjunction with ongoing repair and upgrade work at Berth 1 of the Beaver Dock.
Contractors working on that section of the dock discovered wood pile caps and pile tops were rotting and wouldn’t be able to support other work that needed to be done to the structure.
Last year, the port was granted $2 million in Connect Oregon funds to make repairs and modernize Berth 1 at Port Westward to support larger, Panamax-style ships.