Anchor QEA assisted the City of Seattle at the Washington Park Arboretum to design and implement restoration of eroded shoreline as fish and wildlife habitat, while providing access and views for recreation. Access for people with disabilities was also an important aspect of the trail improvements, which included relocating and rebuilding pathways, and replacing a major pedestrian bridge to Foster Island.

The habitat improvement component of the project was located on a former landfill and marsh.  As a result, the design included structural elements and earthwork features that required geotechnical engineering analysis of a bridge, as well as shoreline and pedestrian trail regrading.  Anchor QEA conducted a program of drilled borings and limited exploratory excavations to establish underlying soil types and their engineering characteristics relative to the planned construction.  Anchor QEA then determined appropriate pile types and embedment depths for bridge support, and evaluated the potential for reuse of excavated soils in construction of the regraded paths.

The project was constructed in the fall of 2004.  Anchor QEA assisted the City of Seattle Parks and Recreation Department staff in the contractor selection process and provided contractor oversight throughout the construction stage.  Our services during construction included inspecting bridge pile installation and earthwork, monitoring erosion control, processing change orders, checking material placement and other contract compliance, and reviewing quality assurance documentation.

For more information on this project, please contact John Laplante at jlaplante@anchorqea.com.