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Phase 1 Construction Activities: 90-day Look-ahead for October, 2015 - Muddy River Restoration Project

What's Happening Now

Phase 1 Construction Activities: 90-day Look-ahead for October, 2015


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US Army Corps Report – Muddy River Flood Risk Management & Environmental Restoration Project Phase 1 Construction Activities Next 90 Days

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On Saturday, we implemented a traffic change in order to continue work on the project.  This shift will allow us to construct the new left turn roadway from Riverway onto Park Drive North.  Once this new left turn is constructed and open to vehicular traffic, the Jug Handle roadway will be removed permanently from service.  This will allow us to continue the daylighted area of the river from the new Brookline Avenue culvert right into Upper Fens Pond. 

Since the last update, we have now begun the daylighting activities at the former Sears Parking Lot.  We have installed the steel sheeting down the middle of the parking lot and will soon be excavating the southside (Riverway Connector side) of the lot in order to construct the new river channel. 

At the Avenue Louis Pasteur work area, the last of the precast concrete culvert sections for the project arrived on site and were installed on 15 October.  Backfilling around the culvert sections and installation of the granite veneer will take place in the next few weeks.  Daylighting of the river in the area between Upper Fens Pond and Avenue Louis Pasteur will take place in November and December.

Thank you for your continued interest and support for this project!


General: The Muddy River Flood Risk Management (FRM) & Environmental Restoration Phase 1 Construction Project is located in the footprint generally between the Riverway downstream to Avenue Louis Pasteur. The major project components involve the installation of a 10-foot by 24-foot box culvert under the Riverway roadway, the installation of 10-foot by 24-foot box culvert under the Brookline Avenue roadway, daylighting of the area between the Riverway and Brookline Avenue, and daylighting of the area between Brookline Avenue and Avenue Louis Pasteur. Daylighting is the removal of existing twin 72″ culverts and excavation of the area to return the waterway to a natural state. This Notice is intended to identify the general construction activities that will be performed in the next 90 days. A figure that shows the existing conditions and the proposed improvements is at the end of this report.

September 2015 through November 2015 Period:

  • In order to continue work on the project, a traffic shift occurred on 17 October in the intersection of Park Drive and Riverway. This shift will allow the construction of the new left turn onto Park Drive North coming from Riverway. Activities related to the construction of the new left turn are drainage work on the Riverway and Park Drive roadways; construction of the new median down Riverway; and curb, sidewalk, and site work.

  • The relocation of a portion of the existing 24” sewer line in the former Sears Parking Lot began mid October with the initial bypass. Over the next several weeks, the southern portion of the new sewer line from the Riverway Connector to the river diversion sheeting will be installed before the end of this year; with the completion and connection to the existing system in early 2016, once the existing twin 72” culverts are abandoned.

  • In the former Sears Parking Lot work area, with the permanent utilities relocated back in Brookline Avenue and energized, the temporary utilities have been disconnected, and the “daylighting” of the former Sears Parking Lot began in early October. Activities related to the daylighting, such as removing the top 4’ of the parking lot and driving steel sheetpile for the river diversion are complete. Active excavation to construct the southside (right side, looking downstream) of the new river channel from the new Riverway Culvert to the new Brookline Avenue Culvert will take place in the next few months. Excavation to construct the northside will take place in early 2016 once the existing twin 72” culverts are abandoned and the river is flowing through the new culverts and the southside of the constructed river.

  • In early December, the Jug Handle roadway will be removed permanently from service, once the new left turn onto Park Drive North coming from Riverway is constructed and open to vehicular traffic. Closing the Jug Handle roadway will allow the daylighting of this portion of the work area which continues the daylighted portion of the waterway at the former Sears Parking Lot, now connected by the new Brookline Avenue culvert. This daylighted portion of the Jug Handle will feed directly to the Upper Fens Pond as a natural waterway. Advanced notice of the Jug Handle roadway removal will be posted as a Press Release, as well as advanced posted signage, weeks prior to the move.

  • Since the active diversion of the river began in mid-April, the removal of the sediment in the river bottom to construct the new flood risk management channel; and the bank restoration/stabilization on both sides of the channel with stone protection in the Upper Fens Pond has been completed. Geocells have been installed on the upland part of the channel and bank construction is complete. Plantings began in mid September and will continue into mid November, subject to weather conditions.

  • Upstream of Avenue Louis Pasteur (ALP), the precast culvert sections were installed on 15 October. The wingwalls will be placed next week. Backfilling will follow shortly after. The granite veneer will be installed in early November. Concurrent with the ALP culvert completion activity, the “daylighting” between the Upper Fens Pond and this extension piece of precast concrete culvert has begun and will continue for the next couple of months. The existing twin 72” culverts will be removed so that the flood risk management channel and the recreation of the historic Olmstead island can be constructed.

  • Downstream of Avenue Louis Pasteur, the contractor has removed the sediment from the outlet and inside of the existing culvert to construct the new flood risk management channel. The articulated concrete blocks (ACB) for scour protection have been installed; and stone protection and geocells for bank stabilization at this downstream end of Phase 1 Construction is completed. Plantings began in mid September and will continue into mid November, subject to weather conditions.

  • At the end of this notice we have included some pictures that show the construction progress in the Riverway Culvert; the former Sears Parking Lot; the Upper Fens Pond; and Avenue Louis Pasteur work areas. We thought folks would be interested in seeing the work occurring behind the fence.

  • If you have any questions, require additional information or would like to be added to the Project Contact List, please email the projectmailbox at MuddyRiver@usace.army.mil

OCTOBER Traffic Patterns and Project Photos

Project Phase 1

(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photos)