Posts

San Antonio River Authority’s Martinez IV Wastewater Treatment Plant Earns Envision Silver Award

9-September-2019

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced today that the Martinez IV Wastewater Treatment Plant in Saint Hedwig, Texas is the recent recipient of the Envision Silver award for sustainable infrastructure.

The Martinez IV Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is a new facility built to accommodate the significant projected population growth of the surrounding communities. Without this facility, the increased raw sewage would need to be pumped and hauled by truck on a daily basis to other facilities for treatment, causing significant impacts to soil, watershed quality, air pollution, and carbon dioxide emissions.

Operated by the San Antonio River Authority (River Authority), the plant has a treatment capacity of 250,000 gallons per day (GPD) with potential to expand to two million gallons per day (MGD). The project consists of headworks, biological treatment, clarifiers, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, and dewatering with final solids being composted. In addition, a new sanitary sewer collection line and associated lift station will connect new residential developments to the wastewater treatment plant. The collection line will consist of approximately 17,000 linear feet of gravity and force main and one lift station.

The River Authority worked in close collaboration with Freese and Nichols and MGC Contractors to deliver this award-winning sustainable project.

<a href=”http://sustainableinfrastructure.org/project-awards/martinez-iv-wastewater-treatment-plant/”>Learn more about this project.</a>

Westside Subway Extension (Purple Line), Section 1

20-August-2019

Rendering of the Wilshire/La Brea Station currently under construction [rendering courtesy of Skanska]

LA Metro’sWestside Subway Extension (Purple Line), Section 1 in Los Angeles received the Envision Platinum award for sustainable infrastructure. To reach Platinum status, a project must demonstrate that it delivers a heightened range of environmental, social, and economic benefits to the host and affected communities.

Section 1 of the Westside Subway Extension, also known as the Purple Line Extension, is one of the most significant infrastructure programs in the region. The 3.92-mile segment, comprised of twin bore tunnels, will add three new stations to LA Metro’s rail system. The three additional stations will be located at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, and Wilshire/La Cinega. The project will extend the current Purple Line from Koreatown through Miracle Mile and is expected to be operational in 2023.

Located beneath some of Los Angeles’ most heavily traveled boulevards, this $1.6 billion subway line extension will provide a high-capacity, high-speed, and dependable transportation alternative for commuters to alleviate congested roadways. This project will also deliver significant economic and environmental benefits to the area.

Learn more about the project.

Port Authority of New York & New Jersey’s Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Program Earns Envision Silver

16-July-2019

The Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Program of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ or PA) is the most recent recipient of the Envision Silver award for sustainability.

The Port Authority worked in close collaboration with the design joint venture (HDR and Parsons Brinkerhoff/WSP, with AECOM as the sustainability consultant) and the construction joint venture (Skanska and Kiewit) to deliver this award-winning sustainable project.

The Bayonne Bridge is the fourth-longest steel arch bridge in the world and was the longest in the world at the time of its completion in 1931. This historic engineering landmark, designed by American-Swiss structural engineer (and former Port Authority Chief Engineer) Othmar H. Ammann, spans the Kill Van Kull tidal strait, the narrow water body that connects New York Harbor to four of the Port Authority’s five major container terminals.

Built prior to the era of containerized freight, the bridge was originally constructed 151 feet above water. As a result of the bridge’s limited height, in recent years shippers had been forced to use smaller, less-efficient and less environmentally-preferable ships to bring goods into the region.  To solve this problem, in 2010, the PANYNJ announced its decision preserve the Bayonne Bridge while raising its roadway deck to 215 feet to permit the passage of larger, more efficient vessels.

In addition to preserving a landmark structure, this project benefits the New York-New Jersey region in many ways. Critically, larger, more efficient ships calling on PA ports yields better air quality for the region.  The project also includes wider lanes, shoulders, and median dividers, which together make the bridge safer for drivers, and features a new bikeway and an ADA-compliant walkway.  The bridge was also designed not to preclude future mass transit service.

Learn more by visiting the PROJECT PAGE.

Envision v3 Pre-Assessment Checklist Is Now Available

29-April-2019

April 29, 2019

ISI is pleased to announce the launch of the highly-anticipated Envision v3 Pre-Assessment Checklist. The launch of the checklist coincides with an important milestone for Envision v3: its one-year anniversary.

Screen capture of a portion of the “results” section in the Envision v3 Pre-Assessment Checklist

The checklist is an Excel-based tool to support the incorporation of Envision early in project planning and conceptual design phases. The checklist presents the Envision criteria as yes/no questions, helping project teams to quickly identify whether they are addressing the full range of sustainability criteria. While the results from a project assessment using the checklist do not directly correspond to Envision rating system scores, the results are presented as an estimate of the potential score a project may achieve should it proceed through third-party verification. Projects that address many of the assessment criteria demonstrate that their approach to sustainability is sufficiently broad and these projects may be good candidates for setting more detailed performance goals and objectives using the Envision guidance manual, and for verification and award.

The Envision v3 Pre-Assessment Checklist is free to use and is available for download from Envision account holders’ dashboards on the ISI website. Log in to the ISI website or create a free account to access this resource.