The new sea wall along the U.S. Naval Academy’s Farragut Field meant to bolster its resilience against climate change is on track to be completed before the end of the year.
The sea wall project, designed to provide structural protection against flooding and sea level rise, is approximately 80% complete, said Madelyn Flayler, a public affairs officer for Naval Support Activity Annapolis, which handles public works at the academy.
Specific repairs include construction of a new sheet pile bulkhead outboard of the existing bulkhead. A tieback system, which reinforces the support system, will be built inland of the existing structure for lateral stability, according to a news release from the academy.
The sea wall is at the eastern corner of the academy grounds where the Severn River meets Spa Creek and the Annapolis Harbor, a location that makes it subject to localized flooding from high tides and sustained winds blowing from the south and east.
Triton Light, the iconic navigational beacon situated on the seawall, has not been in operation during construction. The light will be reinstalled at its original location and raised to the new elevation for visibility above the new wall, Flayler said.
Concerns with the Naval Academy’s sea wall date back several years. A prior assessment of the condition of the academy’s facilities found that the existing steel sheet piles in bulkheads at Farragut Field and the east wall of Santee Basin…
