Mossy Oaks job targeting flooding in Beaufort is done. Its final cost was a surprise
An $8 million stormwater project designed to end flooding in one of Beaufort’s largest communities is finished, and the job came in almost half a million dollars under budget.
City Manager BIll Prokop shared the “really good news” about the cost savings with the City Council Tuesday.
And Mayor Stephen Murray said the Mossy Oaks Stormwater Project, which was aimed at ending repeated flooding over 550 acres affecting several hundred homes, already is providing relief for homeowners.
“It’s a great tribute to all the partners who worked together so effectively to make this happen,” Murray said in a news release.
Prokop credited cooperation with partners and contractors, along with efficient management, for unexpected savings.
Truluck Construction and Gulfstream Construction Co. were awarded separate contracts for the work, which began in July, Except for a few details, work wrapped up this month, said Kathleen Williams, a city spokesperson.
A ribbon-cutting to mark the completion of the project is scheduled at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Spanish Moss Trail where it crosses Rodgers Drive. The public is invited.
Project followed major flooding
The project has been years in the making after a task force was formed in 2017, spurred by residents frustrated by homes flooded in consecutive years by Hurricane Matthew and Tropical Storm Irma.
The project partners were the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the state departments of transportation, commerce and health and environmental control; Beaufort County; the Town of Port Royal; Beaufort Jasper Water and Sewer Authority; Dominion Energy; the Coastal Conservation League and the Lowcountry Council of Governments.
The partners chipped in $580,000, and two grants of $1.5 million helped pay for the work.
The city was responsible for the remaining $6.4 million. However, the city’s share, which came from bond proceeds, ended up at $5.9 million, resulting in roughly $480,000 in cost savings.
The project addressed poor drainage structures and patterns that had resulted in regular flooding in Mossy Oaks during heavy rains, king tides and storm surges.
Work involved installing large drainage pipes at correct elevations to better direct drainage.
Installation of two tidal flap gates on Battery Creek along the Spanish Moss Trail to control the flow of water into and out of the marsh during heavy rains also was part of the job.
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 12:00 AM.
