Project Details
“Can you come back again next year?”
It’s a question engineering firms don’t often hear from residents impacted by construction, but that’s what Abonmarche staff were asked by Grand Haven residents following our Grand Avenue reconstruction project.
Abonmarche completed design, permitting, bidding, and construction administration and inspection services on a tricky 0.4 mile-section of Grand Avenue in Grand Haven. Roadway and utility construction began in April 2016 and was completed in September 2016.
Abonmarche’s design addressed significant roadway flooding conditions that had been ongoing for many years. Previously, the road was prone to flooding several times a year during heavy rain events due to lack of drainage facilities. Dangerous ice conditions were also prevalent in the winter due to thaw and freezing conditions. Lacking a natural stormwater outlet, the options for managing stormwater runoff were limited. Abonmarche evaluated several different stormwater options, including elevating the roadway, along with pumping stations that would function within the project area’s geometric constraints. Ultimately, Abonmarche designed a system of 30 environmentally friendly, interconnected leaching basin structures to cost-effectively capture and store stormwater while leveraging the free-draining sandy soils to allow water to infiltrate into the ground. This also eliminated the need for expensive storm sewer construction and a potentially erosive outlet near Lake Michigan.
ADDITIONAL INFO
- Roadway and utility construction on a tricky 0.4 mile-section of Grand Avenue in Grand Haven previously prone to flooding several times a year during heavy rain events due to lack of drainage facilities