Bushnell Park North Environmental

Under BETA’s Contract with the City of Hartford to design streetscape improvements for Bushnell Park North, BETA also provided the following environmental services:

Phase I Environmental Assessment – Several locations in the vicinity of the project area, including former underground storage tanks, were identified for the potential to encounter contamination during construction.

Phase II Subsurface Investigations – BETA collected subsurface samples at 48 locations and analyzed the soil for selected analytical parameters so that such information could be provided to prospective bidders. Identified contamination included heavy metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and petroleum compounds in soil to be disturbed during installation of utilities, tree removal, and other subgrade work during construction of the Streetscape Improvements Project.

In-Situ Characterization of Subsurface Soil – Prior to bidding the project, BETA recommended an in-situ soil sampling and characterization of approximately 17,000 cubic yards of subsurface soil to accomplish multiple objectives:

• By providing more comprehensive characterization of soil, the potential for Change Orders due to unforeseen conditions is greatly reduced.
• Contractors will be able to plan live loading and off-site management of unsuitable subgrade and contaminated soils, thereby reducing costs associated with multiple handling.
• Bids for handling and management of subgrade soils, both on-site reuse and off-site disposal, will be much more competitive.

Using this approach, the City realized a cost-savings to the project of approximately $400,000.