Weather Delays Saddle Dam Work Along Center Hill Lake

Contractors are experiencing delays in a saddle dam project along Center Hill Lake.

Project Manager Anthony Rodino said bad weather has pushed the project’s completion date back by about a month to mid-October.

“Weather has been a critical setback. It has caused quite a few delays,” Rodino said. “The contractor is actually placing concrete typically at night. So as the thunderstorms roll through in the afternoons or late evening hours, that can cause delays to construction and they’ll have to either pause construction until the next day or later on in that shift potentially.”

Contractors are working to complete safety modifications along an earthen saddle dam east of Center Hill Lake’s main dam. Original estimates from earlier this year had the project being completed by September.

Rodino said workers are about halfway through installing new concrete berms along the saddle dam as of Wednesday afternoon.

“The RCC (roller-compacted concrete) dam is still under construction. The contractor has currently completed 42 of the one-foot lifts of roller-compacted concrete,” Rodino said. “The total needed to get to weir height elevation of 658 is 98. So 42 of the 98 lifts have been completed thus far.”

As for recreation projects, Rodino said construction of a boat ramp on the lake side of the dam is nearing completion.

“Anyone who is traversing the area can basically see that the boat ramp looks to be in great shape,” Rodino said. “The concrete has been placed, everything looks good. They’re obviously going to do some final touch-ups, some lights, different aesthetic things that still need to be done, but the main crux of  the work on that boat ramp has been completed. Things are coming along great.”

Other projects expected to be completed in 2020 around Center Hill Lake include picnic and fish-cleaning stations.