Federal courthouse construction chaos leaves Wright Square businesses furious

For months, disruptions tied to renovations on the iconic Tomochichi Federal Courthouse on Wright Square have been limited to a Whitaker Street lane closure.

The altered traffic pattern has frustrated business owners with shops near the construction site. But the latest courthouse-related disruption has the neighbors furious.

Businesses in Wright Square learned last week that the construction would lead to the closure of several parking spaces — a valuable asset for small businesses, especially during Savannah’s busiest tourism season, St. Patrick's Day.

The move has Michael Higgins, owner of Wright Square Bistro, worried about the impact on his business. A letter from the federal contractors working on the courthouse, received March 1, said the closures could extend through March 2024. Higgins was told the parking spaces outside his restaurant would soon be used to accommodate traffic flow, while construction vehicles blocked off the typical traffic lanes.

The rerouted traffic would pass in front of his cafe within inches of the sidewalk, a section of which he uses for outdoor seating. Higgins said he would not feel comfortable with customers sitting that close to passing cars and will remove the al fresco tables until the street fully reopens.

“We were never consulted or told and because of the closure, will lose 10 seats, which is about 20% of our seating,” Higgins said in a March 1 email.

Miscommunications and road closures

The lane shift on West York Street in front of Higgins' Cafe was originally set to begin March 7. Trucks would take up the typical traffic lane of the road while contractors restored a section of the courthouse, while vehicle traffic would flow through what is usually parking spaces.

“My head exploded as no one had given us any indication this was happening. I called our alderman and the mayor, neither of whom knew about this,” Higgins said.

The federal contract to renovate the courthouse was supposed to take a year. Now, more than a year after construction began, it’s estimated to be completed in 2024.

Since the construction began, the left turn lane on State Street has been blocked off. The east lane of Whitaker Street is also barred between State and Broughton. Subcontractor vehicles take up parking spaces, as well as the blocked off western side of the square.

The city set up a meeting with some key players, including Higgins in December 2022. But after that two-hour meeting, which had been postponed from October, where potential solutions such as reserving some parking spaces for commercial business and encouraging subcontractors to park in nearby decks and garages, Higgins said in February that things were only slightly better.

City meeting with contractors

Also on March 1, city staffers met with primary contractor Brasfield & Gorrie (B&G) and The Tradesmen Group, the subcontractor for structural and architectural repairs of the courthouse tower.

The parties discussed the project’s impacts to the West York Street rights-of-way including requested start and projected completion dates, necessary space to accommodate ongoing construction activities, and a requested street closure to accommodate the crane required to erect a platform and scaffolding around the tower itself.

According to City of Savannah Spokesperson Nick Zoller, they determined the following:

• Contractors are required to provide in-person notification to the businesses in the 00 block of West York Street, including dates, impacts, and 24-hour project staff contact information.

• The parking lane closure/travel lane shift on West York Street would be implemented on March 7.

• The Tradesman Group will clear and reopen West York Street prior to noon on March 15 for St. Patrick’s Day festivities and reinstitute the lane shift on Monday, March 20.

• Pending City of Savannah approval, the subcontractor will close the 00 block of West York Street for a maximum of five days beginning March 23 to accommodate the crane work.

• During the York Street closure, the contractor will reconfigure their work area in front of the courthouse in order to open Bull Street along the west side of Wright Square. B&G is currently exploring options to open Bull Street earlier, March 16, for St. Patrick’s Day

• The subcontractor will provide directional signage to clearly indicate that businesses in the 00 block are open.

Not reflected in the letter sent to businesses was a key part of the city’s permitting agreement: at no time will both Bull Street and West York Street be simultaneously closed.

Resolution?

On Monday, Zoller said after meeting with the city, the contractor, B&G, pushed the York Street activity to begin on March 20, the Monday after St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

Now, Wright Square Bistro is in a holding pattern while Higgins waits and sees what happens with the construction schedule. Their plans to accommodate for the loss of business will likely have to change or be delayed.

"We literally found out about all this a week and a half ago. The first mention of any of it was when that letter was hand delivered. And we were basically given seven days before this was all gonna start. And they say, it's been pushed back," Higgins said. "Because it's going to have a very profound effect on our business, especially the further we move into season."

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Construction on Wright Square federal courthouse disrupting businesses