Black Brook Road Reconstruction and Slope Stabilization Following Tropical Storm Irene
The Town of Savoy experienced extensive damage to Black Brook Road and the banks of Black Brook during Tropical Storm Irene during the fall of 2011. The resulting storm flows within the brook overtopped culverts and destroyed large sections of the roadway. Following the storm, an evaluation of the roadway and river banks resulted in closure of the roadway. Weston & Sampson assisted with this evaluation.
The project includes over one mile of roadway in various states of disrepair, seven slope failures, one major culvert replacement and miscellaneous storm drainage improvements. Due the magnitude of the required work, several funding sources were obtained in order to ensure the project moved forward. Weston & Sampson worked closely with the town and was instrumental in obtaining funding for this vital project. In the end, the town was able to obtain funding from five different funding sources, including FEMA, MassWorks, Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief, and Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
The repair of the slopes and roadway along Black Brook Road is important to the Town of Savoy, surrounding communities and most importantly, emergency response services within Savoy and surrounding communities.
Weston & Sampson was retained by the town to complete and evaluation of alternatives and ultimately the final design. The recommended plan included the installation of solder pile and lagging walls, which limited impact to natural resources, while providing a mechanism to restore the roadway. The final design included three distinct portions. The first includes the stabilization of the failed portions of the slope between Black Brook and Black Brook Road utilizing soldier pile and lagging wall systems. The second includes the replacement of a 36-inch diameter CMP culvert that was unable to pass flood flows during Tropical Storm Irene with a new precast concrete box culvert. The third includes the reconstruction of the existing roadway and stormwater drainage collection systems.
Final design was completed in spring of 2015 and construction began in fall of 2015.