Replacing The Gull Rock And Little Bay Islands Navigational Sites

Abstract

The largest recorded hurricane to ever hit the province of Newfoundland and Labrador happened during the time span of September 20-21, 2010. After the destruction of the tropical cyclone was complete, the Canadian Coast Guard was responsible for assessing and fixing all damages caused to the provinces coastal navigational aids. While some sites were not damaged, others such as Gull Rock and Little Bay Islands had to undergo full structure replacement. Gull Rock and Little Bay Islands are both very low lying isolated islands that had their helicopter pads washed away, while Gull Rock lost its navigational tower as well. It is important that all Canadian waterways be safe and easily navigated to meet the standards that the Canadian Coast Guard strives for. It was necessary to design and implement stronger structures in the area. An analysis of waves in the area showed that the current structural designs were not braced properly in the horizontal direction. Larger timbers were chosen and braced in multiple directions for the helicopter pads, while the new navigational tower is a gravity-based design rather than a rock-anchored design. The following paper will outline the hurricane damage assessment, the design and replacement of both the navigational tower and helicopter pads, as well lessons learned from the project.