60" Storm Sewer Replacement Under the Union Pacific Railroad
Barrington, Illinois

In late August of 2007, an intense rain storm hit the Village of Barrington, causing flooding throughout the community. In the aftermath of the storm, the Village discovered that a section of storm sewer under the Union Pacific (UP) Railroad had either partially collapsed or was obstructed. After determining repairs to the existing sewer were not possible, the Village retained GHA to design a 60” sewer to allow for future upstream and downstream improvements to this section of the Village’s sewer system.

Due to unstable soils, traditional auger and jack installation methods were rejected in favor of the use of a closed-face Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), which minimized the potential of soil movement under the railroad. GHA’s services included land surveying, design, coordination with the geotechnical engineer, permitting with the UP Railroad, contract document preparation, construction observation, and continuous settlement monitoring surveys along the rail line, at the train depot, and in the adjacent parking lots during the tunneling operation.

IL Rte. 132 at Soo Line Railroad Drainage Investigation
Gurnee, Illinois

At the Soo Line Railroad underpass, IL Rte. 132 (Grand Avenue) had experienced an average of more than one flooding incident per year. This segment of the highway is located within the Gurnee Tributary watercourse that flows west to the Des Plaines River. The principle cause of the flooding was the backwater created by the River. Without even considering the contribution of upstream flow from the Gurnee Tributary and local inflow, the tail water levels from the River flood the subject location at the 10-year event and beyond. Furthermore, IL Rte. 132 was entirely submerged from the Des Plaines River Bridge to the subject location (roughly 0.6 miles) during the 50-year and 100-year events, due to the Des Plaines River backwater.

GHA prepared a detailed drainage investigation and report, focusing on improvements to protect IL Rte. 132 from inundation by storm events up to a 10-year storm. Alternates included hydraulically isolating the subject location from the Gurnee Tributary with the use of floodwalls, upsizing two culvert crossings, elevating IL Rte. 132 above the flood levels of the River, and rerouting IL Rte. 132. The frequency at which this location flooded, as well as smaller/more-frequent storms, were studied to develop an alternative drainage improvement.

Village-wide Stormwater Management Plan
Northfield, Illinois

The Village of Northfield lies within the watersheds of all three forks of the North Branch of the Chicago River and has a long history of drainage and flooding complaints. The Village retained GHA to analyze the drainage issues and develop and prioritize potential improvements.

After reviewing available records and interviewing Village staff, GHA prepared a public survey and cataloged and categorized survey results to identify patterns of drainage. Two open-house meetings were conducted to inform the public and solicit additional input.

GHA engineers performed field investigations and surveys, carried out hydraulic river modeling, and developed proposed improvement plans designed to alleviate the drainage issues and reduce future flood damages. Field surveys were performed using hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment to locate and catalog over 35 miles of previously unmapped existing storm sewers within the Village. The located features were then inputted into the Village Geographic Information System (GIS).

Sherman Hospital
Elgin, Illinois

In 2004, Sherman Hospital began planning the relocation of their hospital campus from downtown Elgin to a 154-acre parcel located on the west side of the City. GHA provided land surveying, a traffic planning study, design and construction phase services for offsite roadway and signalization improvements, assistance in the preparation of a Master Plan, and complete site engineering to support the 645,000 square foot hospital.

The project includes over 2,000 surface parking spaces, 1.4 miles of onsite roadways, and a combined total of over 5 miles of watermain, storm sewer, and sanitary sewer. Site grading included the creation of a 17 foot deep, 15 acre lake designed to support the geothermal heating and cooling systems.

This project was featured in the October 2008 issue of Civil Engineering News.

Swansway Subdivision Flood Control
Deer Park, Illinois

The Village and the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (LCSMC) performed comprehensive drainage analysis of a watershed area that lies within the communities of Deer Park, Kildeer, Lake Zurich, Ela Township, and unincorporated Lake County. GHA evaluated a multitude of alternatives to alleviate localized flooding and reduce base flood elevations in the Swansway Subdivision, while minimizing drainage impacts to neighboring communities.

Improvements included excavation of a low quality wetland complex, increasing storage by lowering the normal water level. The native wetland and prairie plantings created an aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sound improvement to the area.

GHA provided conceptual planning; a feasibility report; agency coordination and permitting assistance; preliminary and final engineering plans; bidding documents; construction layout and observation, and contract administration. Sedimentation and erosion control measures were included throughout the project to protect the downstream waterways.