By Eric Curl
Nov. 30, 2022 – The city of Savannah is preparing to fund almost $2.6 million in improvements to a closed section of the Savannah Riverwalk east of downtown in order for luxury housing construction along the mixed-use Eastern Wharf development to proceed.
The proposed project consists of adding support to the eastern end of the public riverwalk’s anchoring system after it was discovered that anchor tiebacks installed in 2010 extend onto the private development, according to city spokesperson Keturah Greene-Luckett. The additional work is needed to prevent the anchors from being severed by foundation construction at Eastern Wharf, and thus destabilize the riverwalk, Greene-Luckett said. The issue was discovered in 2017 and plans for the improvements were previously submitted in 2019, but the city not have funding for the work at the time, she said.
The closed section of the riverwalk runs along a northeastern portion of Eastern Wharf that is being developed for housing by Patrick Malloy Communities. The Upper East River community will feature homes ranging from the “$600,000s to the $4 millions”, according to the website. The developer did not respond when Savannah Agenda reached out via email and phone for this article.
Collins Engineering was hired to design the improvements, while Parker Marine Contracting is the project’s general contractor, according to the latest building permit application submitted for the project in October. The developer of Eastern Wharf is constructing the repairs and will be reimbursed by the city, Greene-Luckett said.
A costly history
The latest plan is not the first time the riverwalk fronting the Eastern Wharf development has needed costly improvements since it was constructed in the late 2000s. In 2008, the city spent about $1.2 million in additional contract work, bringing the total to about $10 million, to stabilize the bulkhead after the seawall was dislodged by the removal of some unexpected wood pilings.
Less than two years later, another $3.8 million in repairs and improvements were needed after structural problems were discovered along a 448-foot section of the 2,000-foot structure. Those costs were picked up by the insurer of the project’s design and engineering firm, Thomas and Hutton, in exchange for the city and its contractor, TIC, agreeing to not seek any claims as a result of the work suspension and repairs. This was when the tiebacks the city is now planning on replacing were installed.
The city and the city’s third-party consultant reviewed the plans at the time and agreed on the repairs, according to John Giordano, with Thomas and Hutton. There were no failures of the existing tiebacks designed by Thomas and Hutton that were installed in 2010, Giordano said.
The city agrees that Thomas and Hutton is not liable for the additional improvements now being planned. Since the 2010 repairs were completed, the property ownership has changed hands and the development plan has changed, and the city has decided to construct a system that further removes the risk of damaging the anchor tiebacks, Greene-Luckett said.
The riverwalk along the Eastern Wharf is not the only one in Savannah getting some costly improvements. Chatham County is currently funding a repair project following the collapse of a section of riverwalk on Hutchinson island.
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