NEWPORT, OR (KPTV) -
Tourists are expected to flock to an Oregon beach today to watch crews remove a Japanese dock that washed ashore in early June.
Crews will take the 66-foot-long tsunami debris apart section by section, load the sections onto flatbed semi trucks and haul them away. The entire process could take as little as two days, organizers said.
The dock has become a major tourist attraction and economic boom for the Newport area since it washed ashore.
Crews set-up a 100-ton lift capacity crane at the site Tuesday, established a safety zone around the work site, and removed sand from around the base of the dock, organizers said. A thin plastic pipe was then inserted beneath the dock.
A diamond-coated cable will be threaded through the pipe Wednesday afternoon Crews can then attach a motor at the top of the dock. A machine called a "wire saw" will be used to cut the dock into five sections that will be put on flatbed semi trucks then hauled to Portland. The sections will be taken apart and recycled.
The cutting work could wrap up as soon as the end of the day Thursday, but it may carry over into Friday depending on how things go, organizers said.
Many tourists tell FOX 12 they're sad to see the dock go.
"I think they should just leave it whole, because 7 feet of it just doesn't do it justice. Kinda looks nice where it is," one woman said.
"It has to be taken care of. It's an eyesore, for sure. I think it should be gotten rid of," another woman said.
State biologists will be on hand to inspect the bottom of the dock as its removed for possible invasive species.
Organizers say traffic is expected to be pretty heavy around Agate Beach State Park, Highway 101 and NW Oceanview Drive during the removal process. The main parking lot will remain open, but the smaller roadside parking area will remain closed until the work is done.
Organizers say part of the dock will be set aside for the city of Newport to create a new memorial.
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