The City of Clarksville reopened the Cumberland Plaza Garage at 133 Commerce St. on Thursday, Dec. 30, after closing in July as a safety precaution due to observed possible structural damage.
Neely Engineering was contracted to conduct structural evaluations and load testing. The Cumberland Plaza Garage was tested at double the minimum code required live load rating for 24 hours. The results of the testing and analysis were positive and indicated that the garage is viable for continued safe usage.
As an additional safety measure, the testing protocols, results, and analysis of Neely Engineering’s findings were then thoroughly reviewed for accuracy by K&S Engineering, another structural engineering firm contracted to double-check all test results and conclusions found by Neely Engineering. K&S Engineering concurred with Neely’s findings.
“Given that the garage was shut down due to possible structural issues, out of an abundance of caution and for the safety of the public, we felt that an additional evaluation prior to reopening the garage was necessary,” City Project Manager John Hilborn said. “Based on the findings of two separate structural engineering firms, I feel confident reopening this structure for public usage.”
Minor repairs to preserve and restore the garage were also addressed during the garage's closure, such as repairing spalling concrete, broken cable rails and crack sealing above the garage’s columns.