The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE construction of the Fortune Bay Canal is being undertaken at an investment cost of $1.2m and is expected to be completed in October.

Lucaya Service Company Ltd (LUSCO) said the project involves dredging to minus nine feet Mean Low Water (MLW), resulting in the removal of some 33,000 cubic yards of sand.

According to a recent press statement, the company is supported by partners in the project, including Phoenix Engineering Limited, contractor A&D Gaitor’s Equipment Rock & Sand, and the Grand Bahama Port Authority and its Building and Development Services Department.

Landside work has started in preparation for maintenance dredging and jetty repairs at the inlet to the Fortune Bay Canal, including preparation of the staging area for dewatering of the dredge material.

“We are grateful to our partners as well as other important stakeholders to the project,” said Charisse Brown, CEO of LUSCO.

She said all affected landowners around the waterway have been notified, as well as the Dolphin Experience to ensure necessary safeguards are in place for the safe movement of dolphins during the project.

LUSCO is urging operators of vessels to exercise extreme caution and care while navigating the Fortune Bay Canal area during working hours and off hours when equipment and markers may be erected.

Work is being conducted from 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday until the project is finished in October, subject to weather and logistical delays.

“Mariners should remain a safe distance away from the dredger, booster, buoys, underground and above ground cables, pipelines, barges, derricks, wires, and related equipment. Boaters should comply with the published mariners’ warning and signage posted in the waterway near the construction zone,” the company advised.

LUSCO is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of Lucaya’s physical infrastructure, including roadways, waterways, ocean inlets in the Freeport and Lucaya areas.