Georgia 10, May 17, 2023

As part of its ongoing expansion of the Port of Savannah, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) began renovations of Berth 1 at the Garden City Terminal (GCT) in April 2021, a project that will be completed this July by The Industrial Company (TIC).

The $138 million project, now 75 percent complete, is being financed by GPA’s internal capital funds and a federal grant by the Maritime Administration.

“When Berth 1 improvements are finished in July, the port will be able to simultaneously serve seven vessels, including

four 16,000-TEU ships,” said Chris Novak, GPA’s senior director of engineering. “The improved berth will add 1.5 million 20-foot equivalent container units of annual berth capacity. Eight new ship-to-shore cranes are on order, among the largest such machines in North America. Four have arrived and are being commissioned. Another four are on order, two of which will serve Berth 1 and two will work the upriver end of the dock. For customers, the expanded berth and crane fleet will provide faster vessel service and better accommodate the big ships calling on Savannah.” Berth 1 is located at the southern, downriver end of

*On

The infrastructure improvement will increase berth capacity at Garden City Terminal by 25 percent (1.5 million TEUs,) to 7.5 million TEUs per-year.

Garden City Terminal. The project realigns the dock face to straighten a bend.

“Renovations to Berth 1 will provide additional dock space for the largest vessels calling the U.S. East Coast,” said Novack.

The infrastructure improvement will increase berth capacity at Garden City Terminal by 25 percent (1.5 million TEUs) to 7.5 million TEUs per-year.

The largest ship-to-shore cranes that will operate at Berth 1 are manufactured by Finland-based Konecranes and will see PORT page 6

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Review of UGA’s Coliseum Roof Allows Arena to Reopen in Fall

The University of Georgia’s (UGA) Stegeman Coliseum, which closed after a chunk of concrete fell from the ceiling in early March, will reopen in time for the next college basketball season, the school announced in late April.

UGA noted that an extensive structural review conducted by several leading engineering firms has been completed, and a plan and timeline have been established for repairs to the facility.

Those repairs will allow the men’s and women’s teams to compete at their longtime home arena in Athens when basketball season begins in November.

The gymnastics team also will return to the 10,523-seat coliseum next spring after being forced to move a pair of home meets to Gas South Arena in suburban Atlanta near the end of this past season, the Associated Press reported.

The volleyball program, which begins its season before the other sports, will be the only team affected by the repair schedule. It will need to temporarily move to the Ramsey Student Center in Athens, where it played from 1995-2017.

Arena’s Everyday Thermal Movement

Leading Cause

Stegeman Coliseum has been closed since

March 2 after a small piece of concrete fell from the ceiling of the nearly 60-year-old facility. No one was injured in the incident, which occurred shortly after the men’s and women’s basketball seasons had concluded. With safety being the top priority, the university immediately closed the arena.

UGA News reported that the most recent engineering report by Texas-based Walter P. Moore and Associates Inc. — a peer review of work previously done by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. (WJE), a suburban Chicago company — affirmed the structural integrity of Stegeman Coliseum. In addition, it agreed with WJE that thermal movement, the daily expansion and contraction of building materials that all buildings undergo, along with misalignment and tight precast joints from the original construction of the facility in 1964 are the primary contributors to recent incidents of concrete spalling.

Crews have already installed scaffolding throughout the facility to begin repairs. Additionally, they are saw-cutting relief joints at the precast corners of the roof and installing a protective mesh to keep any future concrete pieces from reaching the coliseum floor.

Concurrently, engineers are conducting a separate, “global” analysis of the arena’s

roof, UGA News noted, where a study is being made of the structural impact of the north and south end curtain walls added in 2010, and the large, central scoreboard added in 2017. This further review, to be completed over the summer, should determine whether these factors are also contributing to spalling.

“We are pleased with the solution that has been identified by these structural engineering firms,” UGA Athletic Director Josh Brooks said in a statement. “Over the summer, we will begin the planning process for

further ways to modernize the facility and substantially enhance the fan and studentathlete experience. I think folks are really going to be excited about all that we have in store.”

The 10,523-seat arena opened in 1964 as an all-concrete structure built around two giant parabolas. It has undergone many renovations over the years, including a $13 million project that was completed in 2009.

The giant scoreboard that was hung from the roof six years ago was part of another set of improvements that cost $8 million. 

Takeuchi Donates Engines to Diesel Technology Program

Students enrolled in the Diesel Equipment Technology program at Athens (Ga.) Technical College will soon be able to learn their trade by working with real-life excavator engines courtesy of Takeuchi-US.

The compact equipment manufacturer has donated four diesel engines worth approximately $66,000 to the school as part of its “Takeuchi Gives” philanthropic program.

“We’ve been coming up with new ways to support our local communities,” said Rick MacLeish, national parts manager of Takeuchi-US.

“Donating diesel engines to Athens Tech will help students gain valuable hands-on experience they can take into their careers. Our local economy also benefits with the addition of more skilled workers that Takeuchi and other businesses can employ in the future.”

Graduates of Athens Tech’s Diesel Equipment Technology

program can launch careers in fields like equipment repair, overthe-road logistics, parts and supply and customer service. Industries that employ the most diesel service technicians include truck transportation, government, repair and maintenance, motor vehicles and

manufacturing.

“We’re committed to providing a high-quality, practical education for today’s globally competitive workforce,” said Christina Wolfe, dean of business, industry and technology of Athens Tech. “We rely on the support of industry

leaders like Takeuchi to provide our students with access to realworld equipment, helping us prepare them for the workplaces of today and tomorrow.”

Takeuchi’s donation includes two Yanmar and two Isuzu diesel engines typically installed in some

of its compact excavator models. These engines will be placed in Athens Tech’s service shop labs where students learn diesel engine maintenance and how to use various tools like pneumatic wrenches, welding and flame-cutting equipment and jacks and hoists. The students also are trained on computerized testing equipment used to pinpoint and analyze malfunctions in electrical systems and engines.

“Takeuchi’s corporate culture is centered around the concept of helping and supporting others,” said Jeff Stewart, president of Takeuchi-US. “As a result, our Takeuchi Gives program encompasses various activities, including Thanksgiving meal donations and Operation Christmas Child. Supplying these engines is just one more example of how we’re trying to make a positive impact where we live and work, and we hope this is the beginning of an ongoing partnership with Athens Tech.”

For more information, visit www.takeuchi-us.com. 

Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA photo

Extensive structural reviews of the ceiling of the University of Georgia’s Stegeman Coliseum have now been completed by several leading engineering firms, and a plan and timeline have been established for repairs of the facility.

(L-R) are Nathan Major, diesel technology instructor, Athens Tech; Christina Wolfe, dean of business, industry and technology, Athens Tech; Jeff Stewart, president, Takeuchi-US; Andrea Daniel, president, Athens Tech; and Charles Dawson, program chair, Athens Tech.

Work Begins On Chattahoochee River Pedestrian, Bike Trail

Local, state and federal officials broke ground in late April on the first segment of what some are envisioning as a 100-mi.-long trail along the Chattahoochee River in the Atlanta area.

The ambitious larger project is called Chattahoochee Riverlands. According to Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB), the trail’s supporters have their eyes on eventually connecting Buford Dam at Lake Lanier to Chattahoochee Bend State Park near Newnan along a green, riverfront path.

But that could take decades to accomplish.

So, they are starting off small with a 2.5-mi. section in Cobb County, from Mableton Parkway to Veterans Memorial Parkway.

The kickoff event for the trail’s construction in the county attracted a large crowd to Riverline Discovery Park in Mableton, including Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a demonstration of the work’s importance to a regional trail network along the river.

Ossoff praised the start of work on the pathway, before adding, "Ultimately, this is about families across the metro region who can take advantage of this extraordinary natural resource."

In her remarks, Cobb County Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid described the project as “a truly equitable transformation for this part of the metro region."

The county’s Chattahoochee River Trail Pedestrian Improvement project is geared to provide connectivity to future tributary trails planned along nearby Mableton Parkway and Nickajack Creek. It will eventually be part of the regional Chattahoochee RiverLands project, linking trails to other parts of metro Atlanta.

In Phase I, Cobb County’s Discovery Park will see

improvements in the form of both paved and unpaved trails between Mableton Parkway and Veterans Memorial Highway. Phase 2 includes bridges across Nickajack Creek and connectivity to other future trails, according to a news release on the county’s website.

New Pathway Could Be as Popular as Beltline

George Dusenbury is working to advance the trail projects, both large and small, as the Georgia director for Trust for Public Lands, a national nonprofit.

He compares Chattahoochee Riverlands to Atlanta’s popular pedestrian and bike greenway, the BeltLine, which also started with a short, two-mi.-long section.

“When you talk about something as grand as a 100-mile

linear park with a trail and increased access to the river, you need to give people a sense of what that looks like,” Dusenbury told GPB.

He recalled that when the BeltLine’s first paved section, the East Side Trail, opened in 2012, it became an instant hit, attracting development and funding to extend it.

The BeltLine is now scheduled to encircle Atlanta’s urban core completely by 2030. But will the long-neglected "Hooch" trail prove to be as attractive?

Dusenbury thinks so.

“Part of this is bringing people to the river and allowing them experience it the way they want to,” he explained. “So, you’ll see more coffee shops, perhaps a brewery, and a barbecue joint to really bring people to the river.”

The section in Mableton is expected to cost $44 million, funded both by private and public sources. That includes $2.5 million in federal transportation dollars earmarked by Georgia members of Congress, including Ossoff.

"Quality of life was one of my top priorities when I ran for office," said Monique Sheffield, the Cobb County commissioner representing District 4, who touted the trail network as a boon to both residential and business developments in the area. "This project will improve our quality of life by providing access to one of Georgia's greatest natural resources."

The Chattahoochee RiverLands project is a cooperative partnership with the county, Atlanta Regional Commission, Trust for Public Lands, and the city of Atlanta. The first section of the Chattahoochee River Trail Pedestrian Improvements project in Cobb County will demonstrate the goals and strategies of the broader project. 

Atlanta’s Signa By Hilton Hotel Site Achieves Construction Milestone; Due to Open in 2024

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), the largest combined convention, sports and entertainment campus in North America, along with global hospitality company Hilton and Skanska, the multinational project development and construction company, recently gathered to celebrate a major construction milestone with the ceremonial topping off of the 976-room Signia by Hilton Atlanta.

The downtown skyscraper overlooking Mercedes-Benz Stadium is set to open in 2024. Frank Poe, GWCCA’s executive director, was joined at the event by Scott Cannon, Skanska Georgia and South Carolina operations executive vice president and general manager, along with officials from Hilton, GWCCA team members, construction workers, community members, elected officials and media to celebrate the key construction achievement.

Owned by GWCCA and managed by Hilton Management Services, Signia by Hilton

Atlanta is the city’s largest downtown groundup hotel development project in 40 years. The 453-ft.-tall hotel, built on the repurposed foundation of the former Georgia Dome, will connect to the World Congress Center when it opens next January.

Construction Efforts Moving at Rapid Pace

The publicly owned property has so far created almost a thousand new employment opportunities during its construction and will support nearly that many new jobs delivering millions in direct economic benefits and added tax revenues to the state and the city during its operation.

Boston-based Drew Company is the real estate developer of the 1.25 million sq. ft. property with Atlanta’s Gensler serving as the architect. The construction itself is a joint venture between Skanska and SG Contracting in Atlanta as the general contractors.

So far, more than one million hours have

been worked on a site that routinely sees 600plus workers in the work zone at peak. The 42story hotel is made up of more than 5,000 truckloads of concrete and features 302,728 sq. ft. of glass.

“The men and women on this project have invested more than a million hours with no lost time incidents to achieve this pinnacle of construction on the world’s first Signia by Hilton property,” Cannon noted. “It’s been more than two decades since Atlanta has seen this type of build and we’re proud to collaborate with the many partners helping to redefine [the city’s] skyline.

“We are thrilled to officially top off Signia by Hilton Atlanta and celebrate the accomplishments of all who have worked together for the past decade to reach this important milestone,” Poe added. “The topping off brings GWCCA one step closer to realizing our vision of an interconnected Championship Campus establishing a package of facilities unrivaled in North America.” 

Cobb County Government photo Officials broke ground on a 2.5-mi. section of a pedestrian and bike trail along the Chattahoochee River near Mableton.

© 2023 Hilton

The topping off of Signia by Hilton Atlanta brings GWCCA one step closer to realizing its vision of an interconnected Championship Campus establishing a package of facilities unrivaled in North America, said Frank Poe, executive director, GWCCA.

$138M Port Renovation Project Adds Capacity, Realigns Dock

reach a height of 165 ft. with a span of 130 ft. between the legs. The first four have been delivered to Berth 1 and are undergoing final commissioning exercises, with initial operations to take place in July. Two additional cranes at the Berth 1 location are expected to be delivered and commissioned this fall.

“These cranes are delivered nearly fully assembled and are placed on newly constructed crane rails that can handle the heavy loading/unloading of shipping containers,” said Novack.

The project was designed by Moffatt Nichol out of its Savannah office.

“Several obstacles that required innovative solutions, included coordinating the delivery of the cranes with the newly constructed berth facility,” said Novack. “In addition, construction of the Berth 1 improvements while container operations continued adjacent to Berth 1, posed many challenges as well.”

Work-wise, TIC has completed the realignment of Berth 1 that allows for the largest cranes to service the biggest vessels .

“A coordinated effort between multiple parties, including Moffatt Nichol, TIC and the GPA, has produced a successful Berth 1 delivery that is on time and within budget,” said Novack.

TIC worked six days a week and with multiple shifts that included night time activity to complete the project on time. An operating Berth 2 with vessels and container operations required the construction of the Berth 1 realignment to take place in a very confined and specific area. The coordination between TIC and GPA to allow the port operations to continue while construction took place was a high priority for the project.

The Industrial Company (TIC) — working for the Georgia Ports Authority — is renovating the Berth 1 at the Garden City Terminal (GCT), a $138 million project that will be completed this July.

The improved berth will add 1.5 million 20-ft. equivalent container units of annual berth capacity. Eight new ship-to-shore cranes are on order, among the largest such machines in North America.

The largest ship-to-shore cranes that will operate at Berth 1 are manufactured by Finland-based Konecranes and will reach a height of 165 ft. with a span of 130 ft. between the legs.

PORT from page 1

see PORT page 8

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Port Will Have Largest Ship-to-Shore Cranes in North America

PORT from page 6

TIC and GPA are partners and stakeholders for the delivery of the project. As a single team, issues were resolved quickly and without major delay in order to keep the project on schedule.

The realignment of Berth 1 to handle larger vessels and increase overall capacity was no easy task.

“The entire existing Berth 1 facility was demolished and rebuilt to match the alignment of Berth 2, creating a straight docking facility that can accommodate larger container vessels,” said Novack. “Demolition of the Berth 1 took place throughout the project as phases were taken out and worked. The additional capacity at Berth 1 will be complemented by container yard expansions currently under way at GPA’s Garden City Terminal West project, which will add 100 acres of container storage.”

The work included the dismantling and removal of more than 12 massive dockside cranes, several of which were dismantled simultaneously The cranes contained many steel sections.

The demolition plan was based on taking out sections from one end to the other. Crews removed concrete, which was followed by the old underground utilities and infrastructure. The next step was to prep the site for the new facility — installing new utilities, earth work, and preparing the base for the new concrete surface.

This work was equipment driven, utilizing loaders, excavators, dozers, wheel-loaders, vertical lifts and many cranes (crawler cranes and several placed on barges). Land-based cranes were positioned adjacent to the working sections of the port — container yards and oil storage tanks and they helped to place new pipes and rebar for the concrete pours. Barge-based cranes helped to demolish piles — a minimum of 50 — many of which were in the water.

A good number of barges were employed, some on their own and others linked together to create large work areas. Coordinating the activities of the cranes and other equipment demanded serious planning for some very complex operations.

The full reconstruction of Berth 1 required hundreds of new concrete piles, which required pours. Many of the piles were rebuilt in open water. This work was assisted by shore and barge-based cranes.  CEG

(All photos courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority.)

Berth 1 is located at the southern, downriver end of Garden City Terminal. The project realigns the dock face to straighten a bend.

When Berth 1 improvements are finished in July, the port will be able to simultaneously serve seven vessels, including four 16,000-TEU ships.