Site & Civil Projects

McLaren performed roadway design, including the preparation of detailed plans and specifications. The firm also performed utility coordination, public information meetings, traffic analysis, topographic survey, right-of-way mapping, and construction inspection.

Key site/civil issues include flood plain impacts, stormwater management, maintenance and protection of traffic, demolition and removal of existing structures, utilities, integration with I-95, internal traffic circulation, and integration of an existing esplanade. From a marine engineering perspective, underwater inspections will be conducted to assess existing structures, and design engineers will integrate the structures worth retaining while also coming up with creative solutions for how to support new waterfront venues. From a geotechnical perspective, the project will involve developing land situated between two rivers and consisting of bank run deposits, compressible organic soils, miscellaneous fill and abandoned building slabs and foundations.

McLaren provided shoreline stabilization design, geotechnical design, soil surcharge design, and soil monitoring programs, and provided the structural design and construction oversight of a number of the buildings in Port Imperial. McLaren has incorporated industrialized construction techniques in the structural design by designing light-gage steel load bearing wall buildings where the walls were fabricated off-site in a controlled environment, saving construction time and overall building costs. Design challenges included creating a new residential and commercial development on a former rail yard; the dilapidated condition of existing waterfront structures; the lack of infrastructure; and contaminated soils.

McLaren is providing overall project management as well as structural, foundation, and site/civil engineering services. The complex will include administrative and engineering building providing office space for 60+ people, comprising multiple divisions of the Highway Dept., as well as the County’s emergency backup computer operations; operations and maintenance building with space for repairs of department’s equipment; and other facilities. Project challenges included substantial grade elevation changes that limited placement options for the buildings. It is also a long narrow site, which required creative design solutions to utilize the entire site and minimize inefficiencies.

In what is one of the most significant aspects of the development, McLaren has undertaken improvements to provide public access to the Saw Mill River that have included daylighting and re-alignment of approximately 1,300 linear feet between Elm Street and Palisade Avenue. McLaren is also developing the site plans for the City of Yonkers’ Preliminary Site Plan Approval for the Super Block bounded by Nepperhan Avenue, New Main Street, Palisade Avenue and Elm Street. The Super Block is the project’s centerpiece and will include over a dozen buildings accommodating retail, residential, and recreation facilities.