Owner: Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
Client: S.A.I. Consulting Engineers
Location:
Middlesex Township
Cumberland County, PA
The purpose of this project was the total reconstruction and widening of the Pennsylvania Turnpike between the Blue Mountain Tunnel (mile post 199) and to the Carlisle Interchange (mile post 226). This large scale (27 mile long project) involved the replacement of the Blue Mountain Interchange, replacement of 18 mainline bridges, replacement of five structures carrying the Turnpike over other state routes, curve flattening, culvert and pipe extensions, stormwater detention, and modification of the Plainfield Service Ramps. The project was divided into several sections with Early Action items, in addition to the mainline reconstruction sections. Each project within each section was permitted separately for more timely reviews and construction letting. N&W was responsible for the coordination of the pre-application meetings, preparation of the Joint Permit Applications for the five separate construction sections, and design of a three acre wetland mitigation site.
Additional services provided by N&W for the wetland mitigation task included wetland identification and delineation, threatened and endangered species coordination, and an archaeological investigation. The wetland replacement area was designed to provide the functions and values lost within the wetland systems being impacted. Backhoe test pits and monitoring wells were used to determine the elevation of the local groundwater table. The final product included: a Grading Plan, a Planting Plan, an E&S Control Plan, and a Sequence of Construction . The wetland mitigation design successfully created the requisite acreage of replacement wetland area. The client, resource agencies, and landowner (who donated the land for this project) all viewed the mitigation design as a success.