University of MN Sand-Salt Facility

We collaborated with six different University of MN departments, the lead architect, geotechnical engineer, environmental engineer, land surveyor and several contractors to successfully create this new sand/salt storage facility for the University of MN nearby Mariucci Arena. This project included a 4,000 SF building with a paved driveway, sidewalk, utilities and a bio-retention basin for stormwater management. Because this facility is located along the Great Northern railroad and the recently built University Transitway bike trail, coordination with other stakeholders was especially important because there were several private and public land owners and regulators involved with various interests and jurisdiction.

Site Planning, CIvil Design, and Stormwater Management for a New Sand-Salt Facility
Construction Photos

1 2 3 4 5

Project Overview

Client: University of MN
Location: Minneapolis, MN (East Bank)
Services: Site Analysis, Hydrology & Stormwater Modeling, Site Planning & Design, Civil Engineering, Permitting & Regulatory Approvals, Bidding Assistance, Construction Administration

More Info

Challenges

Site contained contaminated soils from the adjacent railroad and previous conditions.
There were five (5) different regulatory agencies involved, which called for an added amount of coordination and review to work through the planning, design, approvals and construction processes.
Site is rather small and constrained on all four sides, which made the site design challenging because this facility needs to serve long delivery trucks and equipment with large turning movements.

Solution and Results

Our team provided a complete package of services including the site analysis, planning, design/engineering, stormwater modeling, regulatory approvals, bidding assistance and construction administration services to successfully create this new sand-salt storage facility with the related site features. We collaborated with the University of MN and several other public/private stakeholders to complete this project within a short timeframe and to accommodate the objectives of all involved parties. Construction was completed in the fall of 2013.

Provided a functional site layout to effectively accommodate the turning movement of large delivery trucks and other equipment.
Created a bio-retention basin to manage all stormwater from the building’s roof, driveway, sidewalk and gravel access road.
Managed the discovery of unknown contamination as we quickly assessed the condition, estimated the volume of soil/fill to remove and had the lead contractor process a work order without causing significant delays to the construction schedule.