Savannah arena project still on track for 2022

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - As the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many industries to a halt altogether, we’ve seen construction projects pushing forward.

The biggest for the City of Savannah right now, the new arena project, continues to move ahead with foundation work.

A massive drill has been moving around the site for months, putting pilings 40 feet underground. That’s all work that will be part of the layers of foundation to hold the SPLOST-funded arena.

Savannah City Council members will be getting an update on the Canal District, which is the area surrounding the new arena. And later, council will be voting on several agenda items that will have a direct impact on the arena project and surrounding area, including a design contract to improve bordering Stiles Avenue all the way to Louisville Road, and construction insurance since vertical construction is just around the corner.

“It’s important to stay in track, not just because we need to meet deadlines, but also time is money, and certainly when you have a $165 million construction project. Time is a lot of money. So, every month of delay would probably cost the project somewhere around a half a million dollars,” Savannah Chief Operating Officer Bret Bell said.

Bell says right now the arena project is on track for its February of 2022 opening.

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