Federal courthouse construction to cause lane shifts on West York St. for nearly a year

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - It’s been ongoing construction work that project leaders say will help the Tomochichi Federal Building serve Savannahians.

Now, the department overseeing the project says necessary repairs to the building’s tower will cause road impacts for nearly a year.

“When we first started the project, we knew we had to do a little bit of work to do on the tower, but we didn’t know that it was going to be as extensive as it was,” said Abigail Low, project executive with the U.S. General Services Administration.

According to a letter from a project contractor to nearby businesses, a lane shift on West York Street near the intersection of Whitaker street are now in effect until March 2024.

That shift causing a loss in six parking spaces. Sidewalks and parking lots will remain open.

The General Services Administration says the shift is necessary for scaffolding construction.

Then from April 2nd to the 7th, a full shut down of West York Street from Whitaker to Bull is scheduled to help with crane operation.

The letter says Bull Street will be open during this time with parking lots and sidewalks also unaffected while tower work is ongoing.

“We’re doing some repointing, making sure no water gets into the building, and sort of works away at the things going on up there.”

For nearby business owners, it’s another impact on traffic that they say hurts their bottom line.

“It’s not good for business, but they do seem to be a professional crew. They’ve been communicative with us, we appreciate that greatly. The work needs to be done,” said John Miller, director of Liquid Sands Glass Gallery.

“We are incredibly excited to do the renovations in the building. To provide a place that’s safe and accessible for the court to function for another 130 years.”

This latest round of traffic impacts comes after streets around the courthouse were closed earlier this year for a few days over safety concerns.

The whole project is expected to be complete in 2025.

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