City still working on Bradley Circle landslide nearly two years later

Some residents on Bradley Circle are still waiting for repairs on their street after a landslide sent a slope tumbling to the Chattahoochee Riverwalk almost two years ago.

“We keep a watch out for more slides,” said Mike Burnham, who has lived in the Bibb City area almost 10 years.

Burnham, 69, and other residents have been concerned about the slope north of 29th Street since heavy rains damaged the area in December 2015. It is one of seven the city has listed with significant damage along the Riverwalk, in Cooper Creek Park and near an east Columbus neighborhood.

The city continues to work to repair the failed areas. The cost of repair will be expensive. The Columbus Water Works recently approved a contract to repair a bank that failed in Rotary Park at a cost of more than $1 million. That project is expected to take about six months to complete if the weather doesn’t impact the construction.

City engineer Donna Newman wasn’t available to talk about Bradley Circle but she has said the failed slope along the Chattahoochee River and others are Federal Emergency Management Agency projects. “These projects are under review and permitting,” she said in a release. “Final specs are being prepared and sent to FEMA for approval. They will then be contracted out.”

While FEMA is reviewing the projects, it hasn’t been easy for the Public Works crews to maneuver garbage trucks on the narrow street without moving past the the barricaded section of the roadway. Garbage trucks are too heavy to travel near the area with dirt washed out beneath the asphalt.

Pat Biegler, director of Public Works, said the truck backs up to one end of the street and collects garbage before pulling around to the other end of the street. “We are still providing that service,” she said. “No, we don’t run over the road.”

The collection crew has to use care while collecting garbage but she wouldn’t run any heavy equipment in the area. “We work around it and we are hoping and looking forward to engineering getting the project done,” she said.

Burnham said he walks past the failed slope four of five times a day to make sure the damage from erosion hasn’t grown. A section of the Riverwalk is visible about 12 feet below the bank. He said the city blocked a section of the walking and biking trail to keep users out until the repairs are completed.

If the work is not completed soon, Burnham is concerned a visitor in a speeding car might steer too close to the edge of the roadway and go down what’s left of the failed bank. “If you fall off, you are going for a roll,” he said.

The street may need some work but Burnham said he wouldn’t live anywhere else in the city. “We love it over here,” he said. “It’s close to everything.”

Officials have noted it takes a while to find a sound solution to such soil failures after heavy rains. The key is finding a solution that will last during the next downpour.

If you’ve seen something that needs attention, give me a call.

This story was originally published September 10, 2017 at 7:27 PM with the headline "City still working on Bradley Circle landslide nearly two years later."