• 28-acre former MGP redevelopment
• Integrated remedial, civil and geotechnical design strategies
• 1,100-foot steel sheet pile containment wall
• Engineered cap system covering approximately 20 acres
• Remedial design integrated with active electrical substation and transmission upgrades
• Geotechnical ground improvement program
• Civil, geotechnical, environmental engineering and permitting services
• Multi-agency permitting and stakeholder coordination
• Construction QA/QC and management
• Brownfield redevelopment
GZA provided environmental, civil, and geotechnical engineering, permitting, construction quality assurance/quality control, and management services to prepare the former 28-acre Tidewater Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) site for redevelopment. The work supported construction of the Rhode Island FC Soccer Stadium and major improvements to National Grid's Pawtucket #1 and Dunnell Park substations, transmission systems, and gas distribution infrastructure.
Challenge
The project involved widespread soil and groundwater impacts from historic utility operations; active utility facilities that had to remain operational during construction; complex geotechnical, waterfront, and environmental constraints; and the need to coordinate multiple, concurrent redevelopment and infrastructure projects in a systematic, phased construction approach. GZA needed to design a remedy that protected human health and the environment, accommodated future development, and maintained aggressive construction schedules.
Solution
GZA’s integrated remedial design combined environmental cleanup with site civil and geotechnical considerations for long-term redevelopment goals. The remedy included an approximately 1,100-foot steel sheet pile containment wall, engineered caps across roughly 20 acres, a ground improvement program to densify soils in place for future building areas, targeted source removal, reuse of on-site soils, and shoreline restoration to prevent contaminant migration and accommodate potential public access. GZA seamlessly integrated the design with National Grid's substation and utility upgrades, a combined sewer overflow improvement project, and development of the new soccer stadium. For the stadium, GZA designed and sequenced a comprehensive ground improvement program that enabled shallow foundations, avoiding costlier deep foundation systems. GZA also coordinated regulatory compliance, permitting, construction sequencing, stakeholder engagement, and construction oversight throughout implementation.
Benefit
By integrating remediation, utility modernization, and redevelopment into a single coordinated program, GZA reduced environmental liabilities, minimized off-site soil disposal requirements, controlled project construction costs, protected critical infrastructure, and helped deliver a landmark waterfront redevelopment and utility improvement project.