Water / Wastewater Operations

Water Operations is a crucial service that many people don’t spend much time thinking about. With so much riding on the accuracy and level of detailed attention, it is urgent that Operators adhere to industry standards and best-practices that yield dependable results and documentation.

GHA boasts a highly experienced staff with over 80 years of experience, operators, staff members with notable supervisory and management skills developed throughout their careers.
We have the ability to operate water systems, from potable water treatment facilities, pump stations, and SCADA. We have a full understanding of the value in preventive maintenance programs and the ability to respond efficiently to emergencies.

We are a process-driven organization because reliability depends on procedures and processes that enable running highly efficient programs. These are performed through Standard Operational Procedures designed to meet the client’s needs and follow the strict guidelines put in place by regulatory agencies. Our Water Operations processes have been developed to provide our clients with predictable, documentable performance on every assignment

Have Questions?

Mike Grinnell
Director of Facilities and Utilities Management
MGrinnell@GHA-Engineers.com


Traffic Signals 

Traffic Signals Make Transportation Safety and Traffic Flow Possible.

GHA’s traffic signal design experience ranges from ADA pedestrian safety improvements to multi-traffic signal corridor long improvement projects. GHA can study locations to recommend future improvements, design the new traffic signals, assist with resident engineer duties during construction, and even assist with signal operations after the traffic signal is built. Our experience with all phases of construction and maintenance of a traffic signal and roadway corridor allows us to design projects with their full life cycle in mind. Also, our close relationships with IDOT and other DOTs give us insight into design criteria and preferences, allowing us to truncate the review process

For more than 30 years GHA has provided traffic signal design for a variety of projects ranging from simple ADA pedestrian safety improvements to corridor improvements for entire traffic signal systems. GHA has been selected for Various / Various design contracts by IDOT and designed multiple corridor interconnect and signal replacement projects for LCDOT. GHA has the experience and ability to review the existing operations of an intersection and make recommendations to maximize the improvement budget by focusing on the changes that make a difference in real world operations. GHA can assist with new and modified traffic signals from concept through construction: completing warrant studies, design for new and modified traffic signals, provide resident engineer duties during construction, and even assist with signal operations after the traffic signal is constructed. Our experience with all phases of construction and maintenance of a traffic signal and roadway corridor allows us to design projects with their full life cycle in mind. Lastly, our close relationships with IDOT and other DOTs give us insight into design criteria, preferences, and ever-changing regulations, allowing us to maximize our efficiency and help mitigate potential for additional reviews.

Have Questions?

Ross Haseman, P.E., PTOE
Senior Signal Systems Engineer
RHaseman@GHA-Engineers.com


Site Civil Engineering

Our civil engineers will incorporate your needs and wants into a design that not only meets regulatory requirements, but also our own high standards of quality.

Our site design team approaches every site improvement project with the intent that it will serve as an example of stewardship within the community. We take pride in our work and the legacy each project leaves behind.

Our familiarity with the approval process allows us to prepare plans that address regulatory requirements up front and facilitate quick turn-around. While keeping our clients’ goals in mind, we work closely with local officials and county, state and federal agencies to ensure compliance with stormwater management, floodplain development, zoning and other applicable regulations.

Projects range from development and implementation of campus- or district-wide improvement programs to building additions, flood reduction and drainage improvements, and new developments for public and private sector clients.

Services include:

  • Site Due Diligence
  • Boundary and Topographic Surveys
  • Site Planning
  • LEED Certified Site Planning

  • Preliminary Engineering
  • Traffic Access and Circulation
  • Public Presentation and Hearings
  • Stormwater Management

  • Utility Relocation and Design
  • Final Engineering
  • Permit Acquisition
  • Construction Layout

  • Construction Phase Services
  • Record Drawings Preparation
  • Sustainable Design
  • ADA Compliance and Path of Travel

Have Questions?

Brian Wesolowski, P.E., CFM
Director of Site Design Services
BWesolowski@GHA-Engineers.com


Municipal Engineering

For more than 40 years, GHA has guided municipalities, county and state agencies, transportation agencies, stormwater commissions, and townships to achieving their goals.

Direct service to the organizations most responsible for providing their constituents reliable, safe, cost-effective services is a priority for GHA. Many of our professionals currently serve as full-time municipal engineers for a dozen Chicago-area municipalities and on an as-need basis for dozens of additional communities. Our wide range of services allows communities access to the resources of a full-service engineering firm without having to fund these services on a full-time basis.

We are particularly adept at managing the potentially controversial nature of public projects, planning issues, and the need to maintain a positive relationship with local residents and businesses.

Key Municipal Services:

  • Village/City Engineering
  • Roadway Design, Maintenance, and Rehabilitation
  • Stormwater Conveyance Systems
  • Wastewater Collection and Transmission
  • Water Distribution
  • Public Works Operations

  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  • Planning and Zoning Consultation
  • Subdivision and Site Development Plan Review
  • Easement and Plat Preparation and Review
  • Project Bidding and Contract Administration
  • Construction Phase Services

  • Land Surveys
  • Pavement Inventory Analysis
  • Engineering Phase I Studies
  • Engineering Phase II Design
  • Grant Acquisition Assistance

Have Questions?

Leo Morand, P.E.
Director of Municipal Services
LMorand@GHA-Engineers.com


Traffic Data Collection

Our data collection division has the equipment and technician capacity to handle any size project with process-driven reliability

Gewalt Hamilton provides a wide range of traffic data collection services to clients throughout the United States, primarily from the Rockies to the Appalachians. Our data collection division has the equipment and technician capacity to handle any size project and the processes to complete them quickly, efficiently and accurately.

We offer:

  • Turning Movement Counts
  • Volume / Classification Counts
  • Speed / Congestion Studies

  • Origin – Destination / Travel Time Studies
  • Parking Counts

We have always been a leader in using technology in a practical way to add value to our clients. We offer online requests for traffic counts and are among the first data collection firms to provide GPS data alongside the collected traffic data to give our clients a more robust analysis. Our computer programmers strive to take the worry out of traffic data collection. We collect data accurately, efficiently and at a very competitive rate, allowing you to focus on what you do best.

Have Questions?

Bill Klewin
Director of Data Collection Services
BKlewin@GHA-Engineers.com


Water Resources

For nearly every project, the competing concerns of site drainage, offsite impacts and preservation of water quality must all be addressed in compliance with overlapping and sometimes conflicting federal, state and local regulations.

GHA’s Water Resources engineers are thoroughly familiar with the requirements of the various northeastern Illinois county and municipal stormwater ordinances. We regularly prepare documentation and permit submittals to meet these regulatory requirements.

Our strategies combine proven stormwater management approaches with innovative naturalized systems to both reduce stormwater runoff volume and enhance downstream water quality.

GHA regularly performs:

  • Location Drainage Studies
  • Drainage Investigations
  • Hydrologic & Hydraulic Studies
  • Base Flood Elevation Determinations
  • FEMA Letters of Map Revisions & Amendments
  • Stormwater & Floodplain Ordinance Development & Enforcement
  • Storm Sewer Maintenance
  • Storm Sewer Rehabilitation
  • Streambank Restoration

  • Stormwater Detention Design
  • Stormwater Conveyance Design
  • Rain Garden Design
  • Permeable Pavement Design
  • FEMA Letters of Map Revisions & Amendments
  • Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan Preparation & Review
  • Stormwater Management Program Preparation & Compliance Monitoring
  • Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Compliance Monitoring
  • Sustainable Design

Have Questions?

Mei Zhu, P.E., CFM, LEED AP
Director of Water Resources
MZhu@GHA-Engineers.com


Land Surveying

GHA’s Land Survey Group brings a level of experience far beyond most firms, and applies this to an extremely wide gamut of project categories, types of surveys, and time constrictions.

Reliable Excellence in Land Surveying is the unsung hero of civil engineering. With so much riding on the accuracy and level of detail, it is urgent that surveyors adhere to industry standards and best-practices that yield high-quality deliverables that lead to informed design.

Possibly our most beneficial advantage is that GHA is a civil engineering firm. This means that our surveyors are intimately familiar with exactly what is done with our surveying deliverables and why. Performing surveys from the engineering perspective has proven to provide us a definite edge in deep detail, resulting in highest-quality data. This is the data that defines the entire balance of project design.

  • Land Survey Services:
  • Boundary Survey
  • Existing Conditions & Topographic Survey
  • ALTA / ACSM Land Title Survey
  • Plat of Highways

  • Plats of Subdivision / Easements
  • Construction Layout
  • High-Definition Scanning
  • Manhole / Structure 3D Scanning

Have Questions?

Jonathan Past, PLS
Survey Group Leader
JPast@GHA-Engineers.com


Construction Engineering

Proactive communication and effective coordination are vital to any project’s successful construction.

GHA Construction Engineering focuses on impeccable documentation, a firm but fair collaboration with contractors, and actively reducing uncertainty for those affected by construction activity.

In the engineering phase that takes all the planning and intensive design and makes it a reality, there is uncertainty that can be mitigated with the right approach. For contractor and material accuracy and compliance, our trained eye and reliable processes match the high level of performance sought by project owners when seeking the right consultant.

The enemy of confidence for construction project stakeholders is uncertainty. The actual inconvenience experienced is undeniably unpleasant, but what residents, commuters, and the local business community really fears is not knowing what is being done, how long it will take, and why.

Construction projects commonly involve changes and delays. This is counterintuitive to projecting the perception of intentional, well-planned construction activity. This leaves only preemptive timeliness as the most important tool. Over the years, it has been common to generate newsletters, flyers, and other communications channels to manage the emotions of project stakeholders.

We know that today’s immediacy is demanded by the public, and while hard-copy methods may still need to be included, the most helpful channel to connect with those most interested in remaining fully informed is a project-specific website GHA brings strong experience in utilizing a project-specific website to inform stakeholders about the project and is the most common method chosen and most conveniently consumed.

Resident
Engineering

With our expertise in construction processes and documentation, our field staff can fulfill the requirements of state, county and local governmental agencies. We stay up-to-date with the most current design and construction standards in order to make expedient field changes as required.

Construction Observation

Site observation is imperative to construct a site which meets or exceeds local and federal standard specifications. We will attend all construction meetings with the design team and contractors, prepare field sketches and change orders, and review final payment processes.

NPDES Compliance Monitoring

We have certified National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) compliance monitoring personnel who verify that project sites meet or exceed best management practices as stated in ILR10 permit applications. Our field personnel inspect, document, report and photograph the relevant construction activity.

Have Questions?

Dave Marquardt
Director of Construction & Survey
DMarquardt@GHA-Engineers.com


GIS and Asset Management

Gewalt Hamilton utilizes industry-leading solutions to provide a full range of geospatial services for municipal, transportation and educational agencies.

Throughout the engineering design process, data is collected, analyzed and created. Our engineering design and GIS staff work closely together to ensure a seamless transition of data into and out of engineering drawings, allowing valuable survey and design data to be shared on various platforms.

We also use state-of-the art handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment for efficient and accurate data collection for asset mapping, as well as online mapping software and servers to provide you with an efficient platform for distribution of GIS data and applications.

How we can help:

GIS Web/Mobile Application Development

We design customized web applications hosted on our secure server that allows you to analyze and interpret geospatial data both in the office and in the field. Using the power of ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online, we design and implement applications based on your organizational needs.

Planning and Design

GIS provides an efficient and intelligent method to getting your organizational needs off the ground. From designing a hazard mitigation plan to assessing bike trail connectivity, we can conceptualize and deliver an intuitive solution.

GPS Asset/Facility Location

We use the latest high precision Global Positioning System technology to collect and map assets, as well as track and manage vehicle fleets.

Asset Mapping and Database Management

We provide cost-effective innovative solutions to efficiently manage engineering design projects, utility networks, and asset databases.

Have Questions?

Greg Newton, GISP
Director of Geospatial Services
GNewton@GHA-Engineers.com


Capital Improvement Projects

Enhancing Communities Starts With Long-Term Planning and Sound Engineering

We pride ourselves in partnering with communities to develop and implement capital improvement projects that are cost-effective while also considering the best design for long-term maintenance. Our staff assists with the initial planning phases all the way through design, permitting and construction, and helps municipalities obtain permits efficiently in order to complete projects within budgets.

We assist with:

  • Long Term Planning
  • Roadway Design
  • Street Maintenance and Rehabilitation
  • Stormwater Conveyance Systems

  • Waste Water Collection and Transmission
  • Water Distribution
  • Construction Phase Services

Have Questions?

Leo Morand, P.E.
Director of Municipal Services
LMorand@GHA-Engineers.com