Waterfront Park

Empty Sky 9-11 Memorial Liberty State Park

gzadan — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 20:27:36 +0000

Empty Sky 9-11 Memorial Liberty State Park gzadan Tue, 06/07/2022 - 16:27

The State of New Jersey retained GZA to design repairs to the bulkhead along the Hudson River and the Liberty Walkway at the New Jersey Empty Sky Memorial. The walls of this symbolic structure, lined with the names of the 749 New Jersey residents who were killed in the 9-11 terrorist attacks, channel visitors�� views across the Hudson River to Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan.

Challenge

After the project started, it was decided that all work �� from investigation through design, permitting, bidding, and construction �� had to be completed in advance of the 20th anniversary of 9-11, which was only about 12 months away. The ambitious project schedule was made even more challenging when additional repairs were requested to drainage and landscaped areas around the memorial.

Solution

The subsidence of the walkway was due to failure of the existing steel sheetpile bulkhead; GZA designed a replacement bulkhead that significantly reduced the level of effort for the repair work and minimized disturbance to the area. But during the bid phase, serious concerns were raised regarding the ability to complete the work in time for the high-profile anniversary date because of the lack of remaining float in the project schedule to compensate for possible material delivery delays or weather delays. Therefore, GZA’s water resources engineers designed an innovative and practical interim solution for the walkway repair as a first phase, with the full-scale replacement to be completed after the 20th anniversary ceremony on 9/11/2021.

The additional work to the area included repairing the drainage system surrounding the memorial and various hardscape features near the memorial.

Benefit

The GZA engineers�� proven track record as effective and innovative problem solvers gave the state agency in charge of the project the confidence to entrust the high-profile work to GZA.

Geotechnical engineering services to repair bulkhead and walkway along Hudson River
Additional engineering services to design and repair multiple landscaped areas around memorial
Expedited project schedule

Government

Waterfront and Coastal Engineering

Geotechnical Engineering Services

Salter’s Grove Causeway Repairs

gzadan — ��Ϸ��d, 24 Mar 2021 16:59:14 +0000

Salter’s Grove Causeway Repairs gzadan ��Ϸ��d, 03/24/2021 - 12:59

A breakwater was built in the mid-1960’s to protect the Pawtuxet Cove area near the mouth of the Pawtuxet River in Warwick, Rhode Island. The breakwater, completed in 1965, included an access causeway that was intended to be temporary and only used for the construction of the breakwater. At the request of the state’s Department of Natural Resources, the causeway was left in place to provide recreational opportunities. The causeway remains the responsibility of the State of Rhode Island and the Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). The RIDEM and the City of Warwick have teamed together to provide for public use of and access to the causeway and the breakwater.

Challenge

GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. (GZA), along with Narragansett Dock Works of Narragansett, RI, was retained by RIDEM and the City of Warwick to provide engineering design, permitting, and construction services for the restoration of the causeway. The causeway is part of the George B. Salter Memorial Grove. It had fallen into disrepair and had become an obstacle for fisherman and other park users trying to access the breakwater, especially at high tide. A grant had been obtained for the restoration of the causeway, and a time restriction was associated with the grant money.

Solution

GZA completed a site visit and performed a topographic survey of the causeway and the immediate area to establish the base plan for the design of repairs. Repair documents for the reconstruction of the causeway and the two water flow channels in the causeway were prepared, as well as the required permit applications for RIDEM, the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Construction was performed by Narragansett Dock Works.

Benefit

The repairs to the causeway reestablished easy access to the breakwater for recreational users and restored the tidal flow between the two sides of the causeway.

Completed site visits and topographic survey to establish base condition
Prepared design documents for causeway restoration
Prepared permit documents
Provided construction support services
Project was completed within the time and budget constraints associated with grant funding

Government

Waterfront and Coastal Engineering

Hugh Force Canal Park Restoration and Signage

gzadan — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 18:30:12 +0000

Hugh Force Canal Park Restoration and Signage gzadan Tue, 07/07/2020 - 14:30

Challenge

During repairs to the park’s canal lock, wetlands and wetland transition areas were impacted by placement of unconsolidated fill. GZA’s ecological services and environmental engineering were required to bring the site into compliance with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Bureau of Coastal & Land Use Compliance/Enforcement. GZA was also tasked with further enhancing the park by adding interpretive signage about the importance of wetlands.

Solution

GZA’s engineering and ecological teams inspected the site, determining best ingress and egress truck routes, final grades and buffer zones, and estimated volume of materials to establish ideal grades. Because more than 5,000 square feet of area was disturbed, GZA prepared a Soil Erosion and Sediment Control (SESC) plan which was approved by the Morris County Soil Conservation District. GZA conducted an ecological inventory of sub-habitats existing within 0.3 miles of the site to provide a bio-ecological basis for native plant selection; GZA specified plant materials and oversaw planting activities conducted by township personnel.

At the NJDEP’s directive, GZA also developed an educational sign to communicate the importance of wetlands to ecosystem functioning.

Benefit

GZA’s multi-disciplinary ecological services/environmental engineering team helped the borough rectify an unintended environmental violation, and the wetlands restoration and educational signage enhance the park’s existing attractions.

NJDEP compliance/enforcement
��Ϸ��tlands
Permitting
SESC Plan
��Ϸ��tland design and restoration
Construction monitoring/oversight
Educational signage

New Jersey

Water

Government

Waterfront and Coastal Engineering

Natural Resources and Ecological Services

Seaside State Park Master Plan Environmental Impact Evaluation

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 16:21:48 +0000

Seaside State Park Master Plan Environmental Impact Evaluation Anonymous Tue, 09/24/2019 - 12:21

Challenge

GZA was retained by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) to prepare an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) for implementation of the Seaside State Park Master Plan. The 32-acre site, occupied by a long-abandoned, historically-significant former State Tuberculosis Hospital, had been declared surplus property in the late 1990s and incorporated into the CT State Parks and Forest system in 2015.

Solution

GZA evaluated four alternative development scenarios for the park. Two options involved a public-private partnership in which a developer would renovate the buildings for lodging and the State would develop and manage the remaining land as a public park; the buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. The other two alternatives, involving building demolition, ecological restoration/enhancement, and passive/active recreational uses, would result in public park land controlled completely by the State.

GZA also conducted two-dimensional coastal modeling to determine the feasibility of proposed shoreline features and the flooding and erosional impacts of removing or modifying the existing seawall.

The biological and cultural resource assessments conducted for the EIE included a floristic survey, coastal habitat characterization, coastal flood hazard modeling, rare species survey, economic feasibility and impacts, and land use changes/intensity, with all the information overlain in GIS for each of the development alternatives. GZA prepared and presented information at two public meetings to a community reviewing the project with great scrutiny.

Benefit

GZA’s multi-level analysis comprised in-house and subconsultant expertise to address the wide breadth of ecological, economic, land use, and historical issues associated with each proposed alternative for this high-profile project. The State is moving forward with the most beneficial hybrid park/resort hotel alternative.

Insights

Environmental Impact Analysis for Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CT DEEP)
Ecological Assessment
Coastal Modeling
Living Shoreline Feasibility Assessment
Historic Reuse
Economic Impact Analysis
Cultural Resources Evaluation
Rare Species Inventory and Habitat Analysis
Public Participation

Connecticut

Government

Waterfront and Coastal Engineering

EHS Regulatory Compliance