Exmouth’s new £1.2 million Mamhead Slipway is almost finished and contractor working on behalf of East Devon District Council is aiming to complete this engineering feat in the late autumn.
The council is funding the restoration of the slipway on the River Exe which will be larger and more practical than the previous structure and will bring more maritime business to the town.
Work on the new slipway started in late February this year. The old slipway – which was closed in 2012 due to public safety – was demolished and contractor Raymond Brown Ltd has been working against the clock to build the new one.
Since early May, the contractor has built a sheet pile coffer dam in the estuary, installing a granular fill and have cast the slipway slabs. Huge piles – large interlocking metal sheets – have been installed. The longest piles used were 15.7m. Piling is now complete, and the slabs for the lower half of the slipway have been cast.
The next phase of the works, before completion, will involve casting the remaining slabs, installing flood gates and reinstating the footway, street lighting and signing. When completed, the new slipway will be 38 meters long, and 12 meters wide.
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