Natural Resources Investigation and Permitting Archives

IDOT High Speed Rail Project – Chicago to St. Louis Tier 1 and 2 EIS and Environmental Services

Background GZA contributed to the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT’s) Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 284-mile-long Intercity High Speed Rail (HSR) Project between Chicago and St. Louis and Tier 2 EIS for related regional rail projects. Improvements to existing rail corridors and stations are being completed to accommodate the high-speed trains. … Read more

I-290/Eisenhower Expressway Improvements, EIS and Noise Studies

Challenge The Interstate 290 (I-290) Eisenhower Expressway improvement project, involving reconstruction and/or upgrades for the congested, 50-year-old multi-modal corridor, has a long history and has proceeded in phases commensurate with available funding. Public scrutiny of the project is high, particularly for the traffic noise. The high-profile nature of the project, dense urban development through which … Read more

Fairfield Road at IL Route 176 Junction Improvements

Challenge The Fairfield Road at IL Route 176 Junction project located in Unincorporated Lake County, Illinois, included reconstruction of the Fairfield Road and IL Route 176 intersection, encompassing approximately 6,600 feet or roadway reconstruction, approximately 7,000 feet of bike path reconfiguration, two bike path underpasses of IL Route 176, three wetland/open water stormwater basins, approximately … Read more

Agrivoltaic Solar Energy Dual Use Project

Challenge Bluewave Solar sought to develop a dual use solar array project on a portion of a wild blueberry farm in Rockport, Maine. The project included upgrading an existing access road and building a 4.2-megawatt solar energy system in a design compatible with continued blueberry production. GZA was contracted to provide wetland delineation and vernal … Read more

Eversource Energy Transmission Line Rebuild

Challenge Eversource Energy (Eversource) maintains miles of electrical infrastructure to support current and projected electricity demands. When the aged and deteriorating wooden utility poles along the L176 Transmission Line (115 kV) required replacement, GZA was engaged by Eversource to provide full-service, multidisciplinary support from the beginning stages of data collection through the construction phase of … Read more

Marshfield Municipal Airport/George Harlow Field Runway Extension Permitting

Challenge The airport’s proposed runway extension required seven separate environmental permitting processes at the most stringent regulatory levels. GZA has served as the natural resource consultant for this coastal airport—which has rivers and wetlands at both ends of the runway and rare species associated with the immediately adjacent habitats—for many years. Solution The MEPA/NEPA process … Read more

Round Pond – Natural Resources Impact Analysis

Challenge In response to current and anticipated water demands, a New England municipality explored options to increase the storage capacity within its water supply system. Their analysis included the feasibility of raising the elevation of a 100-acre pond, integral to its water supply system, by up to 10 feet. GZA helped evaluate the potential environmental … Read more