Ross's Landing reconstruction finished in downtown Chattanooga

Photographed Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn., construction continues where the concrete steps at Ross's Landing are being rebuilt at the 21st Century Riverfront.
Photographed Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn., construction continues where the concrete steps at Ross's Landing are being rebuilt at the 21st Century Riverfront.
photo Photographed Monday, Feb. 1, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn., construction continues where the concrete steps at Ross's Landing are being rebuilt at the 21st Century Riverfront.

Repairs are finished at the sinking, sagging, oversized steps that lead to the Tennessee River at Ross's Landing near the Tennessee Aquarium in downtown Chattanooga.

"The project's complete, and the public can come back down to the riverfront and get close to the water again," Assistant City Engineer Dennis Malone said Wednesday.

Smith Contractors of Lawrenceburg, Ky., finished work on a 1,000-foot portion of the river wall at the 21st Century Waterfront at Ross's Landing that began sinking into the Tennessee River after the project was first built in 2005. The giant grass-and-concrete steps are part of $121 million in waterfront improvements built under thenChattanooga Mayor Bob Corker.

The original repair contract was $5.7 million, but that was increased by $524,131 to include additional repairs deemed necessary after the project was expanded to include the repair of the terrace beams not part of the original contract.

"They're the big, concrete beams - horizontal - that run across there," Malone said. "There was sagging in those beams that were from the original [project]. What we did is re-leveled those beams by pouring new concrete."

Other work was done at Ross's Landing, Malone said, including running new electrical connections and water lines to the slips where large pleasure boats moor including for Riverbend, downtown's annual multi-day summer music festival. Erwin Marine Sales manages the slips.

Ross's Landing gets busy during such events as the Head of the Hooch rowing regatta in November, which has used the big steps as the grandstand and finish line for its races.

"It's used quite a bit," said Kim White, president and CEO of the River City Co., a nonprofit redevelopment group that focuses on improving downtown.

Contact staff writer Tim Omarzu at tomarzu@timesfreepress.com or www.facebook.com/MeetsForBusiness or twitter.com/meetforbusiness or 423-757-6651.

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