Dredging work in the winter harbor - review

The dredging work in Mainz's Winterhafen is nearing completion. If nothing else comes up in the final stages, we will be completely finished in the first half of April and can reopen the pier (Victor-Hugo-Ufer). Apart from a few remaining tasks, which the dredging company will begin immediately after the holidays, the construction project is virtually on schedule.

Diving operation successfully completed: Fortunately, divers conducting a renewed search for explosive remnants from the war did not find anything in the second section of the harbor. This means that dredging work can continue as planned.

During "electronic scanning," several objects were discovered on the bottom of the waterway that need to be examined more closely. Therefore, divers will be deployed again starting on Monday, February 26. They will take a close look to determine whether these objects are, as is often the case, illegally disposed of scrap metal/trash, or whether the explosive ordnance disposal service may need to be called in.

After the boat docks were moved, the explosive ordnance survey began. The area is first scanned using a boat and the appropriate technology. If any suspicious objects are discovered, divers are called in again to examine them more closely.

After a short break for the holidays and flooding, dredging has been underway again since the beginning of January. If everything goes according to plan, preparations for the "second construction phase," i.e., dredging the other side of the harbor, will begin on the first weekend in February. To do this, the boat docks must first be relocated. Then, another explosive ordnance survey will be conducted before dredging can begin. 

Since our colleagues from the excavation company also want to spend the holidays at home, work will be paused over Christmas and New Year's Eve. However, it will resume immediately in the first week of January 2024. 

++ Mole closure ++ Dredging work started ++

Excavation work in Mainz's Winterhafen has begun as planned.

As the pier is effectively part of the construction site and the swing bridge has to be opened repeatedly to remove the sediment, this area is closed to traffic, but this does not mean any major detours.

Pedestrians and cyclists can simply use the promenade "Am Winterhafen" on the other side. 

Extensive dredging work is scheduled for the end of the year to ensure that Mainz's winter harbor can continue to be used as a port in the future. This work has become necessary because the waterway is becoming increasingly shallow due to sedimentation and will eventually no longer be deep enough for boats to navigate.

The dredging work alone is expected to take four months. All ships will have to leave the harbor for this. In order to keep the restrictions to a minimum, we have deliberately scheduled the work for the winter months in close consultation with the tenants. Especially since the cold season is not boating season.

In preparation, an industrial diving company was first called in at the beginning of October to remove everything that did not belong there from the water. This included shopping carts, electrical appliances, and other scrap metal that had been illegally dumped there. This was followed by an explosive ordnance survey. 

Our department manager Michael Paulus will be happy to answer them. You can reach him by email or by phone at 06131 - 97 15 303.