Annapolis City officials have announced plans for a nearly $9 million renovation of the Prince George Street area of the City Dock, replacing bulkheads designed to protect the harbor and improving services for boaters.
The federal government is contributing $500,000, and the city and state are splitting the rest of the projected $8.3 million cost. Ray Weaver, public information officer for the city of Annapolis, said the city?s portion, approximately $4.15 million, will come from revenue generated by the annual boat shows and other city functions.
Replacement of the aging bulkheads and an upgrade of the electrical service available was the impetus for the project, said Harry Sandrouni, chief engineer for the project.
Bulkheads are waterfront retaining walls that are driven into the seabed to serve as a barrier between the water and soil, said Public Works Director John Patmore. The current wooden bulkheads have reached the end of their life span and will be replaced with steel bulkheads driven up to 80 feet into solid ground under the harbor. The current bulkheads are driven approximately 20 feet into the ground.
“If the current bulkhead were to fail, soil would spill out into the harbor from underneath Susan C. Campbell park. This would create a major problem with silt in the harbor, but due to the higher elevation of the dock, there wouldn?t be any flooding,” Patmore said.
Sandrouni said it was a miracle that the bulkheads have lasted this long, and based on complaints from boaters about the lack of electricity available, it was the right time to begin work on them. He said the current system does not have the capacity to run power to all the boats that need it.
“When a boater plugs in and finds that the air conditioner will not work, that is a problem,” Sandrouni said.
During construction, crews will level Susan C. Campbell park, the open space at the end of the dock, making it flush with the boardwalk. Currently there is an 8-inch height difference between the boardwalk and the park. New pavers and trees will be added, giving the park a total makeover.
Sandrouni said construction crews will build a 30-foot-by-40-foot platform in the park that can be used for concerts.
The length of the boardwalk will be replaced, but the new structure will be visually identical to the old.
Electrical work will begin in June, with dock construction beginning in October. All work should be completed by April 2008.
Since the majority of work is being done underground, there will be few noticeable changes to the City Dock aside from the revamped park and new boardwalk.
Construction crews will be working from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The city is working with contractors to bus in the workers in order to keep parking spaces available to the public.
Ego Alley will be closed to boaters during the duration of the construction.
J.P. Walters, an employee of the Harbor Master?s Office, says that Ego Alley will be closed to marine traffic from October 2007 through May 2008. He doesn?t anticipate a problem for boaters because the winter months bring less boat traffic into the city. He advised mariners to use commercial marinas and other public access points, which will be unaffected by the construction.
