Opening of Proposals - RAISE Planning Project – The Market District Proj No. 123-053 - American Structurepoint Inc.

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PAGE 11 CITY OF SOUTH BEND MARKET DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT planning there will be an understanding of what is required and when it is anticipated to happen, so all parties are on the same page. BRIDGE DESIGN Our bridge design team has decades of experience in the design of bridge rehabilitations and preventive maintenance projects. We have seen a wide array of bridge distress and found solutions to extend the life of bridges to maximize the owner’s budget. We will inspect the Eddy Street bridges to determine their condition and identify cost-effective rehabilitation techniques to reset the design life of those critical elements. Eddy Street over Mishawaka Avenue had a recent bridge deck overlay and the interior substructures were repaired. Our team will evaluate the remaining life of the other elements such as the 30-year-old superstructure and 60-year-old abutments. The ramps connecting Eddy Street and Mishawaka Avenue are off the bridge and their removal will not impact the bridge. The deck was replaced on Eddy Street over the St. Joseph River along with other repairs in 2019. Eddy Street over Lincolnway East is being rehabilitated currently. The ramps connecting Eddy Street and Lincolnway East are an integral part of the geometry of the bridges over the river and Lincolnway East. We will review the impact to both bridges to remove these ramps as part of the study phase. Eddy St. over St. Joseph River Another service of our bridge team provides is load rating. We will review the load rating of the existing bridges in anticipation of the future road diet of Eddy Street. Determining potential strength issues during the planning stage is crucial for proper funding allocation. This also allows for a rehabilitation design and construction at the appropriate time of this multi-phase project. GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATION As part of our preliminary concept efforts, Resource International will perform geotechnical investigation for the project area in key locations, verifying that we have good information on the soil properties and conditions. This information is critical to verify the public infrastructure plan will not encounter a significant issue further along in the project development process to minimize project risks. ENVIRONMENTAL We conducted a preliminary assessment of the project area to identify potential environmental concerns. The primary concerns include the St. Joseph River, multiple recreational facilities (Governor Joe Kernan Park, Edgewater Bank Park, and the East Bank Trail), and multiple historic resources (the National Register listed Northside Boulevard Riverwall, the “notable” rated National Guard Armory, and several “contributing” rated properties). Many of these recreational resources would qualify as Section 4(f) resources and will need to be evaluated, while the historic resources will need to be reviewed in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Additionally, the project is within several census tracts that are identified as historically disadvantaged and areas of persistent poverty. We will draw from our significant experience in Environmental Justice Analyses to evaluate and minimize impacts to these communities. Our environmental team will work closely with the design team to minimize and/ or avoid impacts to these resources to streamline the environmental process. Our strategy will be to prepare a single Environmental Document for the overall project that will be ready to approve once initial construction funding is secured. As additional construction funding is secured for the remaining subprojects, environmental re-evaluations will be completed if needed. This allows us to take advantage of the planning phase to drive environmental approval for the construction phases.