Port of Olympia - East Bay Redevelopment Project
Skillings Connolly provided planning, land surveying, civil engineering, environmental permitting, and construction administration/engineering for the Port of Olympia's East Bay Redevelopment Project in downtown Olympia.
Historic activities on the East Bay Redevelopment site caused soil and groundwater contamination. Contaminants in the soil and groundwater were detected above state cleanup levels, so the Port entered the Department of Ecology's Voluntary Cleanup Program and began actively redeveloping the property. As part of this redevelopment, the Port engaged the community to help define a vision which was adopted for future recreational and commercial development. The project area, which was previously filled with warehouses and industrial sites, houses the Hands On Children's Museum, and will eventually offer retail, dining, and other "family-friendly" amenities.
Skillings Connolly completed final design for the roadway and utility improvements to facilitate this redevelopment. The project widened the existing roadways to City standards, provided safe routes for bicycles and pedestrians, as well as special design considerations for large lowboy trucks used to transport extra-long wind turbine blades from the Port.
Upgrades were also made to the stormwater system, and extensions were made to the water, reclaimed water, and sanitary sewer systems. Skillings Connolly also designed and permitted a temporary wastewater treatment facility to treat stormwater and groundwater from the project site during construction.
The creative use of Portland cement concrete, as opposed to asphalt, allowed for shallow excavation and capping and containing the contaminated soils rather than removing several feet. To protect pedestri
an traffic in the extra-large intersections, we incorporated manually actuated, solar powered, rapid-flashing beacons to warn vehicles of the presence of pedestrians. The engineering solutions were perceived positively by the local agencies and the community in general.
The Port and the City now have a highly enriched site, ready for expanded development with planned hotels, restaurants, and office buildings. Skillings Connolly is proud to have been a part of this project, and appreciates the recognition from ACEC.