Oregon dock goes up in time for sea lions' arrival

摘要

When you are doing any kind of construction near environmentally fragile waterways, the less time you spend in the water the better. This is one of many reasons that the designers of the 17th Street Dock in Astoria, Ore., chose precast concrete for the deck design. "Precast was always the goal," says Howard Wells of BergerABAM in Portland, Ore., the engineer on the project. "We never considered anything else." The 17th Street Dock is home to two 210 ft (64 m) U.S. Coast Guard cutters, along with the historic lightship Columbia, an exhibit that is part of the adjacent Columbia River Maritime Museum. It's also a docking spot for Columbia River tour boats and small pleasure craft, making it a popular tourist destination.