2019 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science® Awards Competition Winner

Honor Award - Design

Queen Ditch Restoration Project

Entrant: CDM Smith
Engineer in Charge: Thomas R. Schoettle, P.E.
Location: City of Newark, New Jersey
Media Contact: Julia Forgas

Entrant Profile

CDM Smith is a full-service consulting, engineering, construction and operations firm. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, CDM Smith provides lasting and integrated solu- tions in water, environment, transportation, energy and facilities to public and private clients worldwide. The City of Newark, New Jersey selected CDM Smith as the design engineer and construction manager for the Queen Ditch Restoration Project. This project provided water quality benefits by alleviating sewage backups and resulting flooding during rain events for residents and businesses in the Queen District Drainage Area at both the intersection of Frelinghuysen Avenue and Noble Street and at the Meeker Avenue underpass at Route 22 within the City of Newark. The project team activated and re-established Queen Ditch by dredging portions of the existing drainage ditch, converting portions of the existing drainage ditch to a closed conduit, and installing a new in-line netting facility.

Construction of upgrades and improvements to Queen Ditch were financed by the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Financing Program (NJEIFP), a State Revolving Fund program jointly administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust (NJEIT). The NJEIFP uses a combination of funds provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the NJDEP, and the NJEIT to provide very low interest loans to borrowers for environmental infrastructure projects.

Rencor Construction Services Ltd. served as the general contractor and Dalessio Engineering, LLC provided structural engineering design support.

Project Description

For three decades, motorists in Newark, New Jersey, grew accustomed to stormwater flooding at the intersection of Frelinghuysen Avenue and Nobel Streets, and the Meeker Avenue underpass along Route 22. Rain events would routinely require the Newark Department of Public Safety to issue traffic advisories instating alternate routes, creating traffic jams. Even moderate rainfall caused recurring property damage and, in some instances, left motorists stranded and in need of rescue.

The culprit was the Queen Ditch, an open-channel drainage ditch that served the area, which had fallen into disrepair. The stormwater/sanitary sewer overflow from the Queen District Regulator Chamber had been blocked off, forcing all drainage to flow to the South Side Interceptor, causing overloading and surcharging of the interceptor and flooding in the drainage area during storm events.

To reduce the frequency and magnitude of flooding, the City of Newark, through the Department of Water & Sewer Utilities, moved to upgrade and improve the Queen Ditch drainage facilities located near the terminus of International Way, west of Newark Liberty International Airport. Conducted in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), this $5.9 million project installed a new 108- by 60-inch concrete box culvert and a trash netting facility to prevent street debris and litter from entering waterways.

Integrated Approach

Weighing the options and developing an all-encompassing plan. CDM Smith was retained by the City of Newark to evaluate design alternatives, including construction of new relief sewers, dredging of the existing drainage ditch, and/or conversion of the existing drainage ditch to a closed conduit. Subsequently, CDM Smith recommended and developed plans and contract specifications for the installation of an in-line netting facility, partial conversion of the existing drainage ditch to a closed conduit, dredging of the remaining portions of the ditch, installation of a new headwall and a double set of tide gates to prevent tidal flow from backflowing into the collection system.
Obtaining all applicable permits. CDM Smith procured all necessary permitting and permanent easements, as well as funding from the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust (NJEIT). Permits were secured from NJDEP Division of Land Use Regulations to comply with New Jersey's Freshwater Wetlands Act and Flood Hazard Area Control Act. CDM Smith also obtained a NJDEP Division of Water Quality Treatment Works Approval and Hudson-Essex- Passaic Soil Conservation District review of a project-specific soil erosion and sediment control plan.
Providing solutions for Newark, its stakeholders and the environment. Planning services included geotechnical analysis, topographic survey, wetland delineation, review of existing documents and environmental contamination reports, and coordination with outside agencies. Designs protected critical wetlands that trap floodwaters, recharge groundwater, improve water quality by absorbing pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat.

Quality

Delivering high quality results with comprehensive planning, execution and oversight. CDM Smith provided resident engineering representative services, which involved conducting a pre-construction conference; conducting regular progress meetings; preparing monthly reports on construction activity for the city; preparing draft change orders to negotiate cost and schedule impacts; making recommendations required in the construction work as a result of field coordination and activities; conducting final inspection and certification.
Satisfying clients and stakeholders. Following completion of the project in August 2018, Mayor of Newark, Ras J. Baraka noted, "For nearly three decades, heavy rain has turned these portions of Frelinghuysen and Meeker Avenues into lakes, creating safety and health hazards for drivers and residents alike. Thanks to hard work by our contractors and excellent partner- ships with state and federal agencies, we will no longer have to endure the spectacle of sunken cars on Frelinghuysen Avenue and first responders rescuing them in rubber rafts." Former Water and Sewer Utilities Director, Andrea Adebowale, added, "We are very pleased to have met the challenges for this important project. Construction was completed under budget with minimal delays and impacts to adjoining property owners."

Originality and Innovation

Restoring Queen Ditch with the innovation application of existing techniques, including:
- A pile-supported, below-grade, cast-in-place concrete netting facility. Access to the in-line nets is through access hatches. Removal of the nets can be accomplished from the surface without the need for confined space entry.
- Excavation and dredging of the remaining length of the ditch to original contours
- A pile-supported, pre-cast concrete culvert to convey flow from the netting facility to a new headwall with tide gates, which prevent tidal flow from backflowing into the collection system
- Wetlands restoration within the existing ditch to mitigate impacts to wetland and riparian zone vegetation

Complexity

Partnering with stakeholders to resolve concerns. This project would not have moved forward without a plan that satisfied the complex requests of all parties concerned. CDM Smith partnered with the city, NJDEP, NJ Infrastructure Bank, USEPA, the general contractor and tenants local to the site, addressing their concerns in the final design.
Constructing without disrupting. Construction required close coordination with the NJDEP and adjoining property owners and tenants, which included a hotel, the Newark Liberty International Airport employee parking facilities for United Airlines and a material distribution warehouse. CDM Smith obtained necessary easements and developed a critical plan to protect and maintain vehicular traffic through this site, as disruptions of traffic flow to these facilities were unacceptable.
Protecting the environment. Further challenges included unfavorable subsurface conditions, requiring careful management and removal of contaminated historical fill on site.

Social and Economic Advancement

Improving infrastructure in an urban industrial community. The areas addressed included major arteries surrounding one of the busiest airports in the northeast. Thanks to the Queen Ditch Restoration Project, stormwater flooding no longer threatens this busy area's motorists, local properties, inhabitants or wildlife, improving quality of life. "We will gain a safer, cleaner, and stronger South Ward from this project," assured Mayor Baraka. With the design and construction of a sustainable and sound drainage facility, vital infrastructure and a critical wetland habitat were restored amid a highly developed industrial area of the city, and decades of frustration and costly flooding damage have come to an end.

Click images to enlarge in separate window.


Flooding occurred at the intersection of Frelinghuysen Avenue and Nobel Streets as well as the Meeker Avenue underpass along Route 22.	Meeker Avenue Flooding - before and after. Photo courtesy of RLS Metro Breaking News

Excavation in contaminated areas required special care during construction.	Interior view of the underground trash netting facility.

Steel H-Piles being served as the foundation for the netting facility, precast conduit and headwall.	A temporary roadway was constructed to provide safe, continuous access to adjoining properties.

Restoration plans were prepared to mitigate for impacts to wetland vegetation and riparian zone vegetation.	The new headwall structure that discharges stormwater flow to the Queen Ditch and prevents backflow to the new conduit and regulator.

The restored habitat at Queen Ditch helps convey stormwater and serves as a home to a variety of plant and animal species.	Trash netting inside the Queen Ditch drainage facility was installed to prevent street debris and litter from entering waterways.

The closed Queen Ditch drainage facility