(The Center Square) – A new gangway was installed on Sapelo Island, where seven people died after a dock collapse in October.
The new gangway at the Marsh Landing Dock is 91 feet long, eight feet wide, and engineered and manufactured to a maximum live load of 260 persons, or 52,000 pounds, according to a news release from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. An identical gangway was installed at the Meridian Ferry Dock as a precaution, the agency said. Myrick Marine Contracting Corp. of Savannah installed the new gangways.
Seven people died, and several were injured on Oct. 19 when a dock collapsed during an annual celebration of the Gullah Geechee community. The gangway was last inspected in 2022, the department said previously.
Crescent Manufacturing, the general contractor that oversaw the construction of the gangway, conducted two inspections in 2022 in response to a complaint of a loud noise, the Department of Natural Resources said. The last inspection was in December 2022, and it was “determined there were no structural concerns,” according to previous reports.
An independent investigation is ongoing, led by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. The company includes engineers, architects, and materials scientists who specialize in the investigation, testing, and design of repairs for buildings, bridges, and other structures.
The firm investigated the collapse of the Interstate 35 bridge in Minnesota that led to 13 deaths and repairs to the Washington Monument after it was damaged in a 2011 earthquake, according to the firm’s website.
