Say goodbye to the old Woods Hole terminal for the Steamship Authority.
The building is fenced off, interior work — including asbestos abatement — has been completed, and an excavator from contractor J.R. Vinagro was in place Monday morning, ready to begin the demolition of the concrete building.
“Application was made for the building demolition permit on Friday, and we are awaiting word from the state building inspector on its status,” Robert Davis, general manager of the SSA, wrote in an email.
Later, the Steamship issued an advisory that the work would begin at 11:30 Monday morning. The terminal was built in the 1950s, and has served as the main terminal in Woods Hole since 1961.
According to a community update issued last week by the SSA, the contractor “cut and capped the water and sewer lines to the building” in preparation for the demolition.
A water hydrant on Slip No. 1 was replaced, and will be used for dust control and to supply potable water for the ferries in the future, according to the email. The elevator inside the building was decommissioned, and the electrical supply for the slips was transferred from the terminal building to a freight shed.
“The terminal building is now permanently disconnected in preparation for its demolition,” the email stated.
SSA officials estimate it will take two to three days for the building to be leveled, and several weeks for the debris to be loaded and removed from the site.
A temporary terminal has been open and operating for ticket purchases since early December.
Last month, the administrative offices of the Steamship Authority moved into their new building at 228 Palmer Ave., adjacent to one of the ferry service’s parking areas.
Later this week, the MV Martha’s Vineyard is expected to make its triumphant return to service after its $17.5 million midlife overhaul.
“We have been finalizing some remaining items required before the [U.S. Coast Guard] will issue the certificate of inspection,” Davis wrote. “We expect to be able to wrap those items up today or tomorrow, and the plans are for the vessel to be placed into service on Wednesday.”
