Bird Rock Community Council learned in September that construction on the Midway bluff stabilization project is going to be delayed.
“We had estimated to go to construction in October, but since then there have been some issues, one of which is environmental permitting, which is expected to take two or three (extra) months,” said George Freiha, project manager for the city. “That required (gathering) more information, hiring a consultant to do more field testing, et cetera.”
Freiha said the new timeline for completion has been pushed back to February of 2016. “But we’re pushing to fast-track the project for a December start,” Freiha said. The project has been in the planning and design stages for more than a year. Erosion problems with the westerly end of Midway bluffs goes back years.
Freiha previously told the community advisory group that storm water runoff was seriously eating away at the bluffs as far back as 2004.
The city’s plans are to repair the erosion of the bluffs and restore the viewpoint area on top with new fences and drought-resistant landscaping. The engineer said repairs will “improve the path of travel on the sidewalk leading to the seating area.”
Bluff improvements are to entail erecting a mechanical earth wall with blocks stacked onto one another to support and stabilize the bluff wall.
Freiha said the texture of the newly created earth wall will match existing neighboring walls. Freiha will return at later council meetings to update the group on the project’s progress.