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The original pier and docking facility at
Garris Landing, located in Awendaw, South Carolina, had fallen into
disrepair after years of heavy use and exposure to hurricanes and the
harsh marine environment. The pier was still heavily used by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (FWS), who used it as a base from which to conduct
their operations in the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge. Coastal Expeditions
also used the facility to take eco-tours to Bulls Island.
The project involved numerous planning and
design challenges. The main criteria for the FWS was that the existing
pier remain open and usable during the construction of the new facility.
Also, the project’s location in the sensitive Cape Romain Wildlife
Refuge brought a higher level of involvement with various resource
agencies during the environmental permitting process. The location on the
Intracoastal Waterway also left the docking facility exposed to heavy wind
and wake action from barge traffic.
The new facility features an 1,100’
concrete fixed pier, an ADA accessible floating dock system equipped with
utilities, an aluminum breakwater, an aluminum bulkhead, a dredged channel
to the reconstructed public boat ramp, land-side fuel service for the FWS,
and improvements to the parking area. The new facility was re-opened to
the public in the Spring of 2001.
As a subconsultant to Harrison and
Spencer, Inc., JGT provided full planning, permitting, and design services
on this $2 million public project.
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