Ole Man River Just Keeps Rollin

  • Monday, October 12, 2015

Citizens are hearing yet another new chapter in Chattanooga’s 21st Century Riverfront concrete repair saga. It seems it will require more repair, more delays and more tax dollars to do it. When will it end?

Construction of the Riverfront concrete structures began in 2003. Before it was finished, designers, engineers, contractors, Public Works officials, Mayor Littlefield and the city attorney knew large cracks were enlarging in the concrete. Adjustments were made and the work continued.

Work ended and the city paid the majority of bills. Meanwhile, the concrete crumbling continued and the foundation washed away.

The structural integrity of the concrete continued to decline, necessitating "repair" of the structure for safety and aesthetic reasons. The city commissioned studies, consultants were brought in and the administration demanded money for the repairs and a project expansion. Council was told the repairs would be reimbursed from monies that would come when the city won its lawsuit against the original contractors.

While deciding what to do about repairs, city administrators developed plans to add Riverfront Park accommodations past the repair area and stretching down to Ross's Landing.  I suppose the philosophy was when a city has one construction catastrophe, the best solution is to enlarge the project, borrow more money, and increase the maintenance complexity. City Council was requested to move forward and approve repairs and the grand expansion project at an estimated cost of $9 million.

Anyone who knows anything about the Tennessee River knows its swift current naturally leaches soil from the banks. The river has continuously made and remade the walls of its banks since time began. This means any structure built on the bank must be conducive to the existing conditions of changing currents and rising and falling water levels.

Before voting on new expenditures, I sat down with the new engineer in hopes of understanding how the proposed repair would be a better solution. I asked what other options were reviewed before deciding to repair the existing concrete structure. Answer: The city wants repair of the existing concrete structure. The city never asked us to present any other options, so we didn't suggest anything else. Question: Were any other options available? Answer: Yes, there are, but they weren't discussed. Question: How would they compare with going back with the full concrete as previous proposed? Answer: That depends on the design. Question: Knowing erosion is a concern, would floating riverfront docks be an option there?  Answer: Yes. Question: How would they compare in cost? Answer: Oh, they would be significantly less expensive. Floating docks would not be permanent, but then the concrete structure isn't permanent either.

No arguments could alter administration's desire to expand the project scope or consider other options. At the City Council meeting, I learned none of the other council members had any interest in slimming or discussing alternatives  The project was almost unanimously approved.

Epilogue:
The city lost the lawsuit, so there was no reimbursement for repairs. The judge denied the city's claim, because the city attorney failed to file the lawsuit within the time frame required by law. If a city knows about a problem, the city has a specific time frame in which to file suit. The city claimed it learned late about the problem, but email evidence proved the Deputy Public Works Administrator and others were informed about the problem during construction.

It became known that the Public Works Department, (which is responsible for all commercial and non-commercial construction inspections in Chattanooga), did no code inspections on the project. The director of Public Works claimed “others” were supposed to do the inspections despite the fact that city ordinances indicate otherwise.

The expanded project was approved at the end of Mayor Littlefield's administration. Mayor Berke’s administration wisely slowed down the Riverfront expansion plans. The prior Public Works administrator retired when administrations changed. The deputy administrator of Public Works (as mentioned above) was then promoted to the top position. He is overseeing the repair project once again.

Yet again, more delays, more failing, and more repairs on the concrete behemoth that shows ever increasing signs of instability. It’s the same song, third verse. It has dragged on for 12 years. Let’s do something proactive and rename it the 22nd Century Riverfront. Perhaps it will be complete by then.

Deborah Scott
Chattanooga

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