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SOLID START: City of Whyalla Director Infrastructure Kristen Clark and CEO Chris Cowley with the steel pylons in Whyalla.
The steel pylons for Whyalla’s new jetty have arrived and they’re pretty impressive.
Now being stored in Whyalla and awaiting a final coating to ensure their longevity, the 102 pylons are a major component of our new, innovative jetty and signal the first stage of construction is not far away.
The pylons are between 12 and 15-metres long, consisting of 12.7mm wall thickness steel that will be coated with 1012sqm of 1mm protective coating before being driven into the seabed as the major supports for the new structure. The pylons, weighing in at a total of 210 tonnes and costing $378,000, were manufactured by HUSteel in South Korea and procured through Southern Steel Trading after it was established the Whyalla Steelworks, or any other company in Australia, was unable to construct them to the necessary dimensions.
GFG Alliance, through the Whyalla Steelworks, will be providing the remainder of the supporting steel, and other steel components, as a donation to the City of Whyalla.
CEO Chris Cowley inspected the pylons this week and said their arrival was an exciting development in the jetty construction and a major step forward.
“To see these pylons here in Whyalla gives me goose bumps … it makes this wonderful jetty project seem even more real now,” Mr Cowley said.
“As project manager, Council and our staff have put so much work into this structure with planning, design, public consultation and extensive paperwork to get the necessary approvals.
“We’ve done this to ensure there is as much local labour and materials supply as possible.
“While we simply couldn’t get these pylons made in Australia, to see them here in Whyalla and ready to be further coated and fabricated locally give us another spike in pride for what is going to be a proudly Whyalla-made structure.”
INNOVATIVE: An artist's impression of how the new Whyalla jetty will look.
South Australian company Maritime Constructions has won the tender to build the new structure. The appointment of the Port Adelaide-based marine construction specialist was given the green light by elected members in February this year following a comprehensive assessment and tender process.
The State Government remains a key partner in the jetty project having committed $1m towards its construction. Council is continuing to work closely with the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) on all aspects of the planning approvals, design specifications and prudential requirements.
“Once these processes are complete Council will be in a position to hand the site over to Maritime Constructions for demolition of the old jetty and the commencement of on-ground construction of the new jetty,” Mr Cowley said.
“We have been working closely with DPTI and other government departments and stakeholders from the start of this project and the State Government’s commitment of $1m goes a long way in this sort of construction.
“We are continuing to tick all the boxes required by DPTI as the construction side of this project moves steadily forward.”
The innovative new jetty, that includes a unique loop, has a final cost to Council of $6.5m after taking out the $1m State Government contribution and the donated steel from GFG Alliance.
STACKED AND READY TO GO: The steel pylons for the new jetty.
READ MORE ABOUT THE NEW JETTY
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