Float On: Baltimore and Ohio Car Float Pier on the Delaware
January 18th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
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Above is a brief exploration of the remains of the car floats on Pier 63. This specialized pier built by the B&O Railroad once accommodated two car floats–basically large barges with tracks on their decks. These should be integrated into a pier park coming off of the Delaware River Trail. Like many of the timber crib piers filled with rock, Pier 63 has gradually subsided into the shifting banks of the Delaware. The track of the float pier are only about 2′ above the waterline at high tide. Birch trees already pierce through the railroad ties. How about grafting a series of hydroponic gardens in, around and through the structure? The plants could act as phytoremediative agents, purifying the shallow waters and riverbed laden with heavy metals.
[MORE VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP]
