BL Companies provided design services for a 2.2 mile multi-use trail proposed in the north corner of Bloomfield from the Windsor town line to the Simsbury town line. Conceived through a feasibility study performed by the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy, the route follows an old rail grade along an existing utility right of way, and will provide a critical pedestrian connection between the Farmington Valley trail network and the City of Hartford. BL Companies’ project team performed wetland analysis, environmental assessment, and structural review to provide critical information in assisting the BL design group in developing a safe, AASHTO compliant, environmentally sensitive and aesthetically pleasing trail alignments and street crossings. BL Companies also prepared design documents and cost estimates that accommodate a phased construction schedule as necessary due to funding limitations.
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Consultant Liaison Engineering Services, CTDOT – Bridges
BL Companies was selected as one of the three firms for the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Consultant Liaison Engineering Services for the State Bridge Program and the Federal Local Bridge Program. BL Companies is administering contracts of consulting engineers retained by the State for specific bridge projects and rehabilitation study evaluation reports. The program currently includes forty-four (44) bridges and culverts, seven (7) of which are railroad structures, located throughout Connecticut. In addition, BL Companies developed preliminary engineering for Maintenance and Protection of Traffic including detour plans, where necessary.
BL Companies is providing survey, environmental and cultural resource investigations and reports, hydraulic and drainage engineering services, soils engineering services, environmental permit submissions, utility agreements, review plan submissions, and process plans, specifications and estimate packages from consultants for advertising. Liaison services and plan reviews are provided for locally administered projects under the Federal Local Bridge Program and any other engineering services required to rehabilitate/replace state and local bridges, on and off the National Bridge Inventory, which are rated poor or determined to be functionally obsolete.
State and Federal Inland Wetland Delineation and Function Value Assessments were conducted to understand natural resource impacts. Survey services have included establishment of horizontal and vertical control, detailed bridge measurements for overhead, interstate highway spans, field survey of an Amtrak tunnel span, wetland delineation, hydraulic cross-sections of several rivers and streams, topographic surveys for road widening and bridge deck replacements, and identification of critical bridge elements such as bridge seats, parapet walls and existing steel beam elevations.
On-Call Architecture And Engineering Services
Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) is a public benefit corporation that manages Roosevelt Island in New York City. RIOC has a 5-year Capital Management Plan with a budget of $50 million. BL Companies was awarded a multi-year contract to provide a comprehensive range of architectural, engineering, and related services, with the option to renew for two additional one-year terms. We have provided design services for the redesign and expansion of 12,000 SF of multilevel headquarters for public safety at Roosevelt Island. The scope of work included storefront redesign, which will serve as the façade generator for the streetscape along Main Street. Other projects include a prefabricated comfort station unit in the park. BL Companies performed a land survey, including Subsurface Utility Survey, in order to ensure that existing utility lines were proximate for tapping, and that no utilities would be unexpectedly encountered during construction.
BL Companies also performed a full inspection, design and replacement of the 9,000 SF roof at 504 Main Street. The scope of work included a due diligence report and full construction documents. Currently BL Companies also designed a temporary economical metal siding system to replace masonry removed due to safety concerns.
Consultant Liaison Engineering Services, CTDOT – Highways
BL Companies is providing Consultant Liaison Engineering Services for the Division of Highway Design’s State Roads Unit. BL Companies is administering the activities of consulting engineers retained by the State, regional planning agencies or municipalities for a variety of project types with construction costs ranging from $250,000 to $200 Million. The initial roster of assignments includes: feasibility studies; intersection realignments; a municipal parking garage; resurfacing and safety improvements along I-95; reconfiguration of Route 8 Interchange 18; and two major bridge replacements.
As part of this contract, BL is serving as the Department’s Liaison to the City of New Haven for the Canal Dock Boathouse. This project involves the construction of a new public waterfront recreation and education facility at Long Wharf (concept sketch by GWG Architects at left). The project is funded by the Department and FHWA as mitigation for the loss of the historic Yale (Adee) Boathouse, which was demolished in order to construct the new Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge (or “Q-Bridge”) the centerpiece of the I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing Corridor Improvement Program.
BL Companies is providing a full range of project management services including project scoping, estimating, scheduling, task planning and tracking, review of design submissions, stakeholder outreach, and processing design documents for advertising. Our role requires the preparation of project-related correspondence and documentation (including environmental documents and permits) and coordination with other Department units, State and Federal agencies, municipalities, and the public, all of which is predicated on a comprehensive understanding of the Department’s Project Development Process. The Department also has the option to assign surveying, design, or other discrete tasks as needed.
On-Call Architecture & Engineering Services, City of Hartford
BL Companies had been awarded an on-call engineering contract and also an on-call architectural contract with the City of Hartford. The City utilized BL Companies when projects could not be completed by City of Hartford Department of Public Works, Department of Developmental Services or when the complexity of a project requires additional expertise.
A variety of design functions requested by the City on this contract included: civil engineering, traffic/transportation, flood control, geotechnical engineering, environmental sciences, streetscape design, drainage, surveying, mapping, planning studies and construction administration & inspection.
The services also included preparation of permit applications, liaison services and clerical support.
Three projects we provided services for under the on-call engineering contract were: one project was for the design of a traffic signal to replace the prior signal at the intersection of Cleveland Avenue and Main Street, the second project was for the revisions to the DPW curb, walk and street excavation specifications for the City, and the third project was for an energy analysis and HVAC evaluation for City Hall.
Due Diligence Services
BL Companies was retained by a financial institution to provide environmental due diligence services at four properties in an industrial section of Bronx, NY. The four properties had been most recently utilized for storage tank, boiler manufacturing and repairs. It had been previously used for other heavy industrial purposes.
Due diligence services included a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment which identified several areas of environmental concern, followed by a Phase II Site Investigation (Phase II). The Phase II included a surface geophysical investigation to delineate current/former underground storage tanks (USTs) and tank graves, followed by the installation of soil borings and ground water monitoring wells in and around the areas of concern, and the collection of several soil and water samples for laboratory analysis. In addition, the monitoring well elevations were surveyed in order to calculate a ground water flow direction. Many of the borings and monitoring wells were installed inside the buildings in order to adequately address certain areas of concern (e.g., closed-in-place USTs, floor drains, oil/water separators, etc.) Challenges overcome in order to complete the soil and ground water investigation included physical limitations, such as limited maneuverability inside the structures, ongoing manufacturing activities, and shallow drilling equipment refusal from geology and other non-native buried materials.
BL Companies performed these services under an aggressive timetable to determine if soil or ground water beneath the property had been adversely impacted by the current and historical land uses, and to identify any other potential environmental liabilities that would prevent the properties from being used as collateral.
North Yard
The North Yard is comprised of two parcels of land, approximately 36 acres in size, and is located adjacent to the Quinnipiac River. This New Haven, Connecticut, site was an under-utilized abandoned industrial waterfront facility. The on-site warehouse has been renovated and is now fully leased to commercial/industrial tenants who benefit from the site’s location adjacent to Interstate I-95 and New Haven Harbor.
BL Companies conducted extensive investigations to identify areas of concern, to include the preparation and implementation of a Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection approved Remedial Action Plan (RAP) and the design a conceptual site model. Remediation of soil contamination has been achieved through excavation and disposal of petroleum-impacted soil and through capping the rest of the site with two-fee of clean fill and pavement. Post-remediation groundwater monitoring is on-going.
BL Companies land surveying group supported the environmental remediation activities. Specific surveying assignments included the preparation of a property and topographic survey to determine extents of the parcel ownership. Because of the remediation, contaminated fill was excavated and new material was brought in. Extensive volume computations to support the site’s earthwork were performed over a period of several years. In addition, a series of record as-built plans were prepared to document the intermediate conditions during site excavation.
Former Masland IAC Site
BL Companies has been contracted to perform environmental investigation and remedial activities at the former IAC North America industrial property in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The 50-acre property has been used for various manufacturing and industrial operations related to the automotive industry since approximately 1918 and is currently slated for redevelopment for mixed commercial/retail and residential uses. Several areas of environmental concern were identified on the site based on the past usage of the property, which include soil and groundwater contaminated with arsenic, solvents and petroleum compounds. Remedial investigative activities are being conducted to further delineate and remediate the impacts in order to demonstrate attainment of a Pennsylvania Land Recycling Program (Act 2) standard and cleanup liability protection afforded under Act 2.
Crowley Foods Facilities Assessment
BL Companies completed ASTM Phase I Environmental Site Assessments of 26 facilities for a northeastern dairy company and subsidiaries in preparation of an international buyout. The properties, situated in rural, suburban, and urban settings, ranged in size from one to 160 acres. The sites were located in Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Ohio. Facilities included owned and leased milk processing plants, product transfer warehouses, ice cream manufacturers, packaging operations, evaporated milk plants, condiment factories, equipment storage warehouses, fleet maintenance garages, retail facilities, waste treatment plants, and offices varying in size from 5,000 to 500,000 square feet. The project was completed to meet the environmental requirements of the potential purchaser and included the review of previous environmental reports conducted by other consultants. Recommendations to address recognized environmental conditions and business environmental risks were provided to the client.
Due Diligence Study
Agway Feed and Nutrition, in order to expedite site transactions, retained BL Companies to perform Phase I Environmental Site Assessments as part of due diligence studies for 11 sites throughout Pennsylvania and New York.
BL Companies completed Phase I assessment within 30 days, providing recommendations for follow up work regarding issues involving the presence of underground storage tanks and spills not previously characterized. Throughout this assessment, BL Companies worked closely with Pennsylvania and New York state environmental agencies. BL Companies aggressively fast-tracked Phase II site investigations for these sites, and provided tank remediation, soil remediation, groundwater characterization and on-going monitoring services. Further assessment and remediation, as part of Phase III, has recently been completed on one of the 11 sites.
Critical to this contract was BL Companies’ assistance to the client with understanding of potential environmental liabilities. Because Agway fully understood the environmental issues and results of divestiture investigations conducted, the company was able to pass along this information to potential purchasers in order to quantify the selling price for each site.