Contractors building a boardwalk across Orkin Lake discovered shallow rock which is set to both increase the cost and time to finish the project.
In his last meeting before his retirement, Recreation Director Mike Perry told the Sandy Springs City Council on Dec. 19 that after weeks of steady progress the contractor, JHC Corp., ran into very resistant rock when drilling for piers to support the 2,933-foot boardwalk. None of the geotechnical reports showed the shallow depth of the rock.
The council approved a $388,600 change order to cover the work and other additional costs, bringing the total project cost to $8.3 million so far.
Perry said the city will seek additional geotechnical testing beginning in early January to help identify additional rock in the lake. He said Orkin Lake was being lowered to help address this problem, though progress remains slow.
The data will provide insight into how much longer the trail segment construction will take and how much more it will cost, he said. Another $300,000 to $400,000 is anticipated.
Perry said the delay would add another eight to nine months to the project.
The trail project has hit other snags, including more rock while digging for a bridge by Monteray Park that spans a creek and crews discovered power lines feeding the Morgan Falls dam substation that required digging a deeper trench for a drainage pipe.
Perry said capital project funds are available to pay for the additional work.
The city council approved a $7.8 million bid from GHC Corp. for the construction of Trail Segment 2A in September 2022, which will build a trail from Morgan Falls Overlook along Georgia Power and Fulton County easements, across Orkin Lake and along Cimarron Parkway to Roswell Road.