Projects

Rome, GA

The city engaged the services of an engineering team led by Florence & Hutcheson which also included Piedmont Geotechnical Consultants to prepare concept plans and final design documents, acquire all necessary permits, bid the project, provide construction monitoring, and certify the completed project.

As part of the City of Rome’s ongoing efforts to maintain and improve their existing flood protection infrastructure, the city has decided to rehabilitate one and replace a second flood gate. The flood gates provide for vehicle access through the earthen levees allowing the floodplain areas to be used for park and other recreational purposes. The existing levees and floodgates were constructed in 1939 by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and have served the city well for almost 70 years. However, the amount of time and effort required to close the stop-log gates and the poor aesthetics of the stop-log storage houses warrant a more modern design.

Florence & Hutcheson is closely coordinating the design with the USACE (Mobile District), FEMA Region IV, Georgia Map Modernization, and Georgia Department of Transportation. The project is currently in the design phase and construction is expected to commence in 2009. The overall project includes permanently decommissioning one floodgate, retrofitting a second floodgate with a more modern closure system, and constructing a new larger floodgate which will allow for two-way vehicle traffic and pedestrian access. Due to the levee’s original puddle-core construction methodology, special considerations were required during the subsurface investigation. In addition, the design of the levee excavation and foundation preparation for the new floodgate will require special considerations. The project will also require special considerations due to the potential flooding risks during the construction phase of the project.