Truck damaged $1.3M South Sound boardwalk

| 22/10/2018 | 105 Comments
South Sound Boardwalk, Cayman News Service

Damage to the South Sound Boardwalk

(CNS): Even before the $1.3 million, 1,500-foot boardwalk in South Sound was officially opened, it has been damaged by a truck that ran over it last week, government officials have confirmed. The Public Works Department has investigated the matter and “repairs will commence in short order”, according to Government Information Services in response to inquiries from CNS about the cause of the damage. GIS said the “responsible party has agreed to cover the cost of the repairs”.

Cayman News Service

Damaged South Sound Boardwalk

The boardwalk, which was said to have cost so much because it needed to be “robust” enough to withstand stormy weather, was badly damaged.

The costly project, which stretches between the public boat ramp to just east of the ‘Shoe Tree’, was constructed by Phoenix Construction. It includes a bike lane, benches, three major beach access points and parking.

Government did not reveal the cost of the repairs or whether it was satisfied that the construction was as robust as it had hoped.

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Category: development, Local News

Comments (105)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    So the CIG paid 1.3m for this project……Wow!! I mean we all can see that this does not look like it was that costly soooo has anyone ever thought that maybe the gov could give us such a figure, knowing that it doesn’t cost that much?? Well yes I have thought about it! These people are the biggest criminals in society, hence the reason they say a bunch of crap before election and hardly fulfill any promise made to the public. They are the BIGGEST con artist! In my opinion, they (whomever) probably back some money to put in their pockets from this project – typical politricks!

    Don’t worry they will have more tricks for you and less treats!! It’s almost Halloween! lol

    P.S. I wish CNS had emojis so I could express myself lmaooo

  2. Anonymous says:

    A lot of the comments here seem to assume this was an accident but I bet it wasn’t. The driver probably just drove straight over the boards making the turn not realising there was no structure underneath. Exactly the same thing happened outside an office where I worked in the UK. A large delivery van drove over roadworks assuming they were covered, as is required, by a steel sheet and found out it was just plywood. They had great fun sorting that out.

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  3. Anonymous says:

    Cannot believe it looks like the trex was held down to 1 x 6 …. Seriously? Could not afford treated 2 x 8?

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  4. Anonymous says:

    if we don’t oust the Premiere before his term is up we are going to be up the creek without a paddle. What a putter in the old time Cayman gutter!!

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  5. Anonymous says:

    ppm = poor people money to squander!????

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  6. Anonymous says:

    May be having Chinese building things in Cayman is not a bad idea after all?
    Nothing was ever built right so far, if it wasn’t built by Dart.
    Time to admit that NO capital projects nomatter how small, should be trusted to CIG.

    “China’s president Xi Jinping inaugurates the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge that stretches 34 miles and dives INTO THE OCEAN”
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6305615/Chinas-president-launches-Hong-Kong-mainland-mega-bridge.html

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  7. MM says:

    What is done in the dark, must always come to light.

    Perhaps if CHEC had constructed this it would have been more robust – they may have even financed the $1.3 mil! Then the people would not have had to pay for it.

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  8. Anonymous says:

    This is why we can’t have nice things.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Is CI$1.3Million the starting cost or the finished cost for this project? Also, who was the Project Manager in the Ministry of CPI that oversaw the project construction?

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  10. Anonymous says:

    If you don’t like rampant corruption in government, education and religion, then you should leave. We in Cayman like it just fine thank you.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    like everything in cayman…5 star price for 3 star quality.

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  12. Proof says:

    If i am seeing correctly it appears there were no stainless steel strong ties used (joist hangers).

    How the hell this project costed so much?

    From what i am seeing it looks like they just used nails and screws to secure the joists.

    Did they even use stainless steel nails and screws?

    There needs to be a complete audit and investigation into this fiasco.

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  13. Anonymous says:

    can the auditor general please investigate this whole sorry mess from the start…?

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  14. Anonymous says:

    pretty sure boardwalk does not meet code….surely it needs safety rail on ocean side?
    anyway thank you cig, civil service, pwd……. your incompetence is never ending.

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  15. Anonymous says:

    civil unrest soon come!????

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  16. Jogger says:

    “The boardwalk, which was said to have cost so much because it needed to be “robust” enough to withstand stormy weather, was badly damaged” ……….by a truck!

    Thankfully there were no pedestrians on the boardwalk who have been led to falsely believe that this raised “robust” side walk would also give them protection whilst walking/jogging.

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  17. Anonymous says:

    Despite the “boardwalk” name I thought “the walk” had reinforced concrete surface, not flimsy planks that won’t support a 300lb person who could disappear into abyss.
    But I am not an engineer or an architect. What do I know??

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  18. Anonymous says:

    $866sf for a boardwalk. I am a contractor and still can not work out where the money went. Somebody may an absolute killing on this.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Same here.
      There is 65$ a foot of material in it, I don’t see it cost 800 a foot for labor.
      So if they work really really really slow and two guys take a day to built that foot, I am still 500 short of the 866.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Regrettably, there are far too many “experts” who opine without an iota of knowledge of the subject about which they write. The real cost of the boardwalk is in the engineering and construction of the pilings and foundation on which the boards lie. The foundation is designed to withstand hurricane forces. On the other hand, the boards are designed to give relatively easily to reduce the forces acting on the foundations during inclement weather by allowing the sea to wash through without any real resistance. After the storm, it should simply be a matter of replacing the boards , which is relatively cheap, rather than having to replace the entire structure.

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      • Ron Ebanks says:

        Anonymous 6 :00 pm , you sound to be the contractor of the boardwalk, since most of the money went into Engineering and the foundation , can you tell us unprofessionals construction experts , how is the foundation anchored and built ?

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      • Anonymous says:

        “Relatively” easily… relative to what? To something strong?

      • Anonymous says:

        Well, although that makes some sense it is also bonkers! They’d be pretty week foundations on a low lying flat, concrete structure if the forces on them from wind through the boards stressed them. Hurricanes are accompanied by storm surges – this structure will be covered for much of a storm, which, although it will bring other considerations, will protect it from wind damage. So, I’m not saying it wasn’t designed as you say but that design is an excuse to charge a very large amount of money for what you admit is a weak (and this cheap) design from foundations up.

      • Anonymous says:

        So the foundation would withstand hurricane force, I got it. It made to last forever.
        How about the walking surface? It looks flimsy, therefore appears to be unsafe. Can engineers please assure us that it is safe to walk on?
        Who signed off on the project?

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      • Anonymous says:

        You don’t need to be an expert to see how poorly this is constructed. Did you even look at the picture?

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      • Anonymous says:

        @6:00 SO since you are obviously an engineer. In your EXPERT opinion, do you think that the boardwalk cost $1.3 million to build? Considering all that was built was a steel reinforced frame then planks to cover the vault areas. There is no way $1.3 million can be justified here.

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      • Knot so smart. says:

        Lol. Please don’t insult our intelligence.

      • Anonymous says:

        If only the government had explained all this to the public.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Either way the price is still ridiculous. By a factor of about 2x.

      • Anonymous says:

        You mean it is intentionally designed to throw debris at my house in a hurricane? My insurers will know who to sue.

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        • Anonymous says:

          That was my first thoughts – hundreds of missiles sailing through the air during a storm. Just great for surrounding properties. If it wasn’t sad it would be laughable.

    • Anonymous says:

      Election promises need to be fulfilled.

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    • Anonymous says:

      LOL – As a contractor, you can’t even calculate the cost per sq foot – it is $866 per linear foot – still excessive.

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    • Ron Ebanks says:

      Anonymous 5 :06 pm , I agree with your $866 sqt calculation , but still can’t see where money went , XXXXX. I would believe that government never put a person in charge to oversee the job to make sure that everything was followed accordingly .
      I say it again that job is poorest quality of construction work I have ever seen in my lifetime for that kind of money , my 10 year old grandson could’ve done a better job .

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    • Checking says:

      I haven’t been out with a tape, but by using your calculations this would make the total sq/ft around 1500. It seems bigger than that??

  19. Anonymous says:

    We need to drain the swamp that is our incompetent government. Bunch of self serving crooks.

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  20. Anonymous says:

    ha ha ha …ho ho ho…twe hee hee…wow! another 3 m to repair…these politicians just get better with time????????

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  21. Anonymous says:

    Needs to have concrete or metal bollards along the curb to prevent retards from pulling their vehicles onto it. Oh sorry, I forgot its a Caymanian birthright to park your vehicle anywhere you like.

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  22. my2sense says:

    $1.3 million spent on a board walk??? But our new airport does not have the much needed Jetways included in the plans. This is unbelievable.

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    • One who knows says:

      Your “Jetways” were not included in the plans you moron.

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      • Anonymous says:

        PPMBOT wa happon da stone hit de fat pig an him squeel loud!!

        De PPMBOTS must be well fed, dem jump high to defend de PPM masters and Mac.

        PPM ya servin de wrong masters.

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    • Anonymous says:

      possibly one of the best comments ever on cns.
      welcome to the ppm wonderland!

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  23. Anonymous says:

    Typical Government approach to anything! Waste money, get poor quality and the public should shut up and be happy! Why are we silent to all this Government and public service BS! Morons in charge!

    This material is made to use on decks with nothing heavier than humans walking on it, not near a roadside where vehicles might (did) drive on it!

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  24. Anonymous says:

    Someone made an awful lot of money on that project

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  25. Anonymous says:

    Guessing it was a truck delivering to Davenport/Vela. Ridiculous access road into future phases – trucks cannot turn into it without blocking traffic in both directions.
    How does planning grant these things. You may say it’s tempory, but Phase 2 took 18 months & Phase 3 yet to be built. Three years is a long time to be disrupting traffic!
    Couple that with lack of side walk on that side of the road by the two new mansions & I’m left wondering WTF

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  26. Anonymous says:

    Not everyone agrees with Dart and their projects….however they should have taken a page from their books and this would have been a more proper and 1st class boardwalk with lighting….etc

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    • Anonymous says:

      Considering repair work is already being done on the underpass its only a matter of time before you change your tune.

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    • CB4 says:

      Darts mess ups are just not made public. You didnt notice hundreds of thousands of dollars if driveway pavers being redone at the Kimpton entrance not even a year after they were installed badly??

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  27. Anonymous says:

    Looks like cheap labour to me.

    Millions spent again and cannot see the value for money….

    This is just typical Cayman third-world building standards with a 1st class price-tag!

    And the “board-walk” doesn’t even cover the entire South Sound area, but instead one small portion of it. SMH

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    • Anonymous says:

      Somebody’s buddy buddy got free Christmas money from the CIG.

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    • Anonymous says:

      The PPM MASTERS ordered it to be built and they complied.

      PPM and Mac continue to let down Caymanians.

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      • Dela J Marte says:

        Another way to cater to their cronies….
        This Govt is certainly making history
        With their lack of foresight… What a bunch of idiots……while the future generation is ignored…..

  28. Two Cents says:

    Hahahahahahahahahaha.
    With all the needs in Cayman from hurricane shelters (Bodden Town and West Bay), police stations (George Town and West Bay), prison capacity, etc, etc, etc, this was the brilliant idea of the PPM lead by the know-all Premier. And they weren’t even smart enough to acquire the lil strip of land on the seaside that the owners can’t access now, and the public has no right to use. And stupid voters in Red Bay re-elected him.
    That truck should have driven the whole length of it.

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    • Anonymous says:

      1.5 terms, and they still haven’t finished the school they started two terms ago.

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      • Anonymous says:

        And they want to build a port? Who will benefit from that project? Same as this board walk? Finish the schools and properly educate our youth. Clifton Hunter School’s rating in well below average. Get your priorities right Cayman. #wakeup!!

    • Anonymous says:

      I voted for him and it is the biggest regret of my life. Should have gave my vote to Denniston at this rate, or just not vote at all! #stupidme

  29. Anonymous says:

    What a joke ! Ivan moved much more robust structures than this, but it won’t take a Ivan to move this something far less will wash this out What a rip-off

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  30. Anonymous says:

    Have to say that the damage picture seems to show that the board supports/fixings along the edge are tiny. Our double bed has bigger & stronger ones! So, $1.3m AND done on the cheap. Suggest the contractor now does it properly and doesn’t get paid more. Thanks to the truck driver for exposing the workmanship!

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    • Anonymous says:

      11:36 You got that! They just seem to have attached timber to the concrete wall then laid the planks right across with no cross bracing. It’s weaker than my back yard decking. I wonder who signed off on that design?

      Forget a hurricane, the first decent Nor’Wester is going to rip the **** out of that,

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  31. M says:

    I think the board walk was not thought through properly at all. All it has done is narrow the road in that area creating a hazard. The road on the opposite side has very rough unfinished edges, creating further hazards This was such a terrible idea i’m Not sure why planning would agree it, not to mention the terrible placement of walls too close to the road lining new condos. Why were there no foot paths required on the land side when these condos were built. Just terrible planning, no foresight at all. Plain stupid.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You may have noticed, but it is too late….

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    • Anonymous says:

      Because they didn’t want then there. They would have had to give up sq footage of their properties that hey spent millions on. Their money, screw the public. It’s all about me, me, me.

  32. Pickle Rick says:

    1.3 million dollars and no one thought of adding a guard rail to prevent this from happening or worst case a vehicle hitting a pedestrian. Smh.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I’m guessing a guardrail would have done little to stop the truck.

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      • Anonymous says:

        But it might have stopped him going on the boardwalk in the first place. I bet this wasn’t an accident, the driver probably just drove straight over it making the turn not realising there was no structure underneath.

  33. Anonymous says:

    “Robust”
    “value for money”

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  34. Anonymous says:

    Given that it cost $1.3 million to build the repair should only cost about $100k…

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  35. Ron Ebanks says:

    The 1.3million dollars board walk can withstand hurricane , but is not protected from vehicles , and the government can’t and won’t say who did the damages , but can say that he/she agreed to pay . Does anyone smell the foulshit ?

    But 1.3 million dollars for that job that I see the damages off . That is cheapest 1.3 mil job I ever seen , looks like hardware store charged $10.00 per ft , for what cost $1.50 . And why didn’t they make it solid concrete with steel in it , that would have justified the 1.3 million dollars and be able to withstand everything .

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  36. Anonymous says:

    The planks are warping and many are already very close to being trip hazards.

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  37. Anonymous says:

    Are those PVC boards? WTF were Planning/Phoenix thinking?!?

    (a) it’s not safe for kids to rollerskate/blade, scooter, or skateboard on those planks

    (b) the PVC planks warp in the sun (see Rum Point) and will require endless service

    #dupedagain

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    • Anonymous says:

      Glad to hear your “expert” opinion. I feel more knowledgeable about how to properly build a walkway.

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  38. Anonymous says:

    Why is the shoe tree still a thing. It is amazing that a project like this (not that i agree it should even have been built) gave right of way to an ugly tree covered in garbage.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Totally agree. The shoe tree is ugly, annoying and bad for the environment. Who the heck could ever support such an eyesore with moldy shoes nailed to it. Quirky tourists who feel some sort of connection to Cayman by nailing their garbage to a tree and leaving? It should be labelled an environmental hazard with what is basically just a bunch of garbage nailed to what would be a beautiful tree. Get rid of the moldy shoes and build the boardwalk around the tree. #FreeTheTree! Free the Shoe Tree!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Why you hate me? I’m just a living creature that many people love. Sorry I wronged you without knowing it. -FFTree

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    • Anonymous says:

      Chop baby Chop!!! Chop baby CHOP!!!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Copper nails

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  39. Anonymous says:

    Looks real robust yeah!

    Those plastic planks are going to be all over South Sound unless they are removed before a storm. Does government plan to remove the boards every time a storm is approaching?

    $1.3 million down the drain!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      First let me say that I was NOT in favour of the boardwalk being built. Having established that, planks don’t come up unless something is under them pushing them up, and it is clear for anyone to see that they are just covering a vault so water from below will not be pushing them up in the event of a storm.

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      • Anonymous says:

        LMFAO!!! Let me guess… You arrived on the island last week and haven’t been through a category 5 hurricane yet!! Just wait and see my friend!!

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      • Anonymous says:

        @10:50 That vault the planks cover? Imagine those over a blow hole, that’s a vault too. Trust people who know, the first good storm and all them planks going to be on the other side of the road.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Its all about Archimedes principal of bouyancy , when that boardwalk submerges, those deck planking’s will float. Those small edge fasteners are what is known as concealed screws , so you can fit the deck without screw holes showing. They have minimal resistance to uplift forces, but I must say they do work well on the decking at our ski lodge in Colorado.

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  40. Anonymous says:

    Only “robust” thing about that piece of crap is the price and the gullibility of the public to believe that $1.3M was needed to build what looks like a cheap piece of construction. Somebody got a big bonus on this job in my opinion.

    If a truck is going to do this much damage then I want to see a nice little storm blow through. What a joke. More CIG ineptitude.

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  41. Anonymous says:

    But how did it happen?!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Exactly- looking at how far in from the dock area this damage occurred how is it possible for a truck to get in there. I can only think this was maliciously done.

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      • Anonymous says:

        It’s opposite the Vela construction access road. Trucks always reversing across the road to try & get in….

  42. Anonymous says:

    did they forget about shade and lighting on this project. I’m all for beautification projects but this really is a joke.

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  43. Anonymous says:

    Who is going to pay for this?

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