The system was found to effectively control the pier-girder relative displacements, and simultaneously, protect the piers from severe damage.
But agency officials could never reach an agreement with the private developers who controlled the pier.
"The West Pier Trust will retain control of the pier struc ture and it will not be crammed full of funfair attractions like Brighton Pier," he said.
Frustrated by the pace of progress, city officials said last week that they had taken back control of the pier from a private developer and had plans to transform it into the gateway to New York Harbor.
A few weeks ago, the city's Economic Development Corporation regained control of the pier, paying about $8 million to buy back the lease and settle the litigation with the developers, who were represented by William Wachtel, a Manhattan lawyer who owns part of the New York Waterway commuter ferry service.
They are in control of the piers of New York by right of balehook and iron lever.
In a statement Monday evening, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg hailed the planned agreement: "Our goal when we took control of the piers was to transform them into one of the world's great waterfront parks, and this agreement will enable us to realize that vision in its entirety".
Retraction of the movable span is accomplished by two hydraulic winches located on the control pier on the southeast side of the bridge.
Witnesses have told investigators that Captain Smith appeared to be erect and alone at the controls as the boat approached the pier, and that Captain Gansas was seen running from the opposite end of the boat toward the wheelhouse immediately after impact.
Judging from the observed damage, the design of the joints in precast piers should focus on the first joint between the foundation and the pier segment, for crack control.
Indeed, as indicated by the deck displacement time history plots in Figure 8(a), the pier response is primarily controlled by rotational movement due to foundation rocking.
