COURTESY OF SAVE THE GAY HEAD LIGHT COMMITTEE
The Gay Head Lighthouse was built in 1856.
AQUINNAH – The journey of the Gay Head Lighthouse to its new location away from the eroding cliff is expected to be completed today.
The 400-ton structure in the town of Aquinnah on Martha’s Vineyard was hoisted six feet and placed on a wood and steel frame for the move.
The beacon is being moved 130 feet away from the eroding red clay cliff.
It has been in the same location for 160 years.
Once the structure is in place, a foundation will be filled in underneath it.
Prior to the move beginning on Wednesday, Project Manager Rick Pomroy said, “All of the safety precautions are put into place. It’s a very slow and calculated move. The whole system is pushed by one master hydraulic system. We’ve done this a number of times with houses in the past, and we’re very confident we won’t have any pitfalls.”
Pomroy said there are a lot of details to the move.
“We have landscape reformation that needs to take place along the bluff, and we’re going to keep our schedule moving as quickly and safely as possible. We’d like to see the lighthouse re-lit by the beginning or middle of July,” he said.
