After more than 90 years, the city of Palmetto’s concrete seawall was near total failure, and the crumbling wall put the nearby roadways at risk and was holding up FDOT construction of road improvements and $10 million multimodal trail connecting the city’s parks.
Fast forward to this summer, and a new ESP vinyl seawall is in place ahead of schedule, and the finishing touches are being made on an ambitious artificial reef project.
“It will be like viewing an aquarium,” said Todd Barber, whose Nokomis-based Reef Ball Foundation designed the concrete reefs.
A Sorry State of Repair, Replaced
The concrete wall on the river in Palmetto was in terrible repair, with exposed rusting rebar and cracking cap that forced the city to declare the adjoining waterfront park off-limits to the public.
Our own Carl Hazenberg, PE met with Raj Mathur, PE, the design engineer of Palmetto city, to discuss a design tailored to the city’s needs.
A vinyl sheet piling solution was selected, as the cost was relatively low compared to concrete. Additionally, vinyl seawalls install faster, have a light environmental footprint, and ultimately last longer compared to concrete.
The winning bid to install the seawall went to a local Palmetto contractor, Quality Marine.
Ahead of Schedule Despite a Challenging Timeline
Due to the FDOT schedule to repair the nearby roadway, Everlast Synthetic Products faced a demanding production schedule to deliver product as fast as possible or the contractor faced monetary penalties. ESP exceeded all expectations, remaining ahead of the construction schedule.
Coming Soon: A “Living Shoreline”
Currently, the artificial reef system that accompanies the wall is being installed and is nearly complete. Come July 2016, this creative coastal restoration project is set to become a local Florida riverfront attraction for tourists and citizens for years to come.
ESP is proud of our involvement in this innovative project, and thanks the City of Palmetto and our partners for a job well done!
Project Gallery:
*Artificial reef images courtesy of Quality Marine