• Field reconnaissance and project planning guidance
• Wetland delineation and natural resources permitting assistance
• Hydraulic design calculations and scour analysis
• Culvert replacement/bridge civil design
• Roadway design
• Grant application assistance
• MassDOT Chapter 85 Review
• Bidding assistance
Challenge
The project required replacing the deteriorated stream-crossing structure with one meeting Massachusetts River and Stream Crossing Standard (MRSCS) guidelines, improves resilience to flooding under current and future climate scenarios, and restores ecological connectivity (e.g., biotic and abiotic fluxes) in King Brook within the vicinity of the stream crossing. Funded through a Massachusetts Department of Ecological Restoration (DER) Grant and federal funding, the design and permitting also required coordination with private residential property owners seeking to preserve the impounded pond immediately upstream of the culvert.
Solution
GZA coordinated with the Town of Hawley, the DER, and upstream and downstream property owners including the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation to design and permit a 25-foot-wide, three-sided concrete bridge. Utilizing existing conditions data collected during a previous project phase, GZA updated the information to reflect site changes caused by a beaver dam and updated the existing HEC-RAS hydraulic model to evaluate the proposed span.
GZA successfully guided the project through MassDOT’s review for municipal bridge projects, securing approval of the conceptual design, which enabled the Town pursue grant funding and advance construction of the project.
Benefit
GZA’s multidisciplinary team developed a stakeholder-supported solution that also simplified and streamlined the permitting process.