Beals and Thomas, Inc. has successfully guided numerous wetland crossing projects through the federal, state, and local permitting processes. Often these projects require restoration and/or mitigation. B+T’s multi-disciplinary team is fully equipped and has extensive experience providing the design and permitting services necessary to complete such complex and often multi-faceted projects.

Corporate: EMC Corporation, Westborough/Southborough, MA
EMC Corporation needed an industrial roadway crossing of an intermittent stream bordered by a narrow fringe of wetland to connect two 200 acre parcels of land at its Westborough/Southborough Campus. The design solution chosen consisted of a precast concrete span, which was well suited to the topography and desire to keep a natural rock stream bottom while minimizing the wetland resource area impacts. The span opening of 55' wide x 10' high for the 20' crossing length will allow easy passage by wildlife. Construction was completed in 2010.

Recreational: Lantheus Medical Imaging, Billerica, MA Lantheus Medical Imaging identified the need to improve fitness opportunities and increase overall site accessibility for employees as well as to improve accessibility around the site perimeter for security purposes. The design included a fitness trail system connected by three wooden elevated boardwalks crossing Dolly Brook. The proposed helical pier boardwalk crossings were designed and located so as not to interfere with the brook ecosystem by not altering the amount of sunlight for vegetation, water depths, turbulence, velocities, and flow patterns of Dolly Brook.

Residential: “The Glen” Flexible Open Space Development Subdivision, Scituate, MA
The 40-acre site was heavily constrained by environmental issues including rare species habitat, vernal pools, and both state and local wetland resources. The major design challenge was a wetland crossing to access upland portions of the site. The use of stone faced retaining walls and other roadway features minimized impacts. This, combined with minimization of the overall development footprint resulted in a finding of “no take” under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA) by the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP). B+T designed the wetland crossing to minimize wetland impacts and address Conservation Commission concerns regarding maintenance of existing hydrology. B+T also designed the associated wetland replication areas that mimic the lost area. The construction of the wetland crossing and associated replication areas was initiated in 2010. B+T is providing on-going construction monitoring assistance to the project developer.

Conservation: World’s End Reservation, Hingham, MA
The Trustees of Reservations’ goals for this project were public safety improvements and the restoration of Damde Meadows salt marsh. Comprehensive permitting, including emergency permitting, was necessary to remove two existing box culverts, perform dredging to create open channels leading to Hingham Harbor, and to construct a new vehicular-rated pedestrian bridge crossing. Extensive coordination for authorization was required with multiple agencies, including ACOE, NOAA, Mass DEP, NHESP, MHC, DMF, CZM, MEPA, and the Hingham Conservation Commission. Removal of the first culvert (Phase 1) was completed in 2010 and the removal of the second culvert and construction of the bridge (Phase 2) is presently underway.

Conservation: Coolidge Point, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA
The Trustees of Reservations wanted to address a hydraulic restriction at a pedestrian crossing over a tidal creek to increase the capacity for tidal flow into Clarke Pond, restore Land Subject to Tidal Action, and reduce flooding of upland areas bordering Clarke Pond during significant rainfall events. B+T provided coastal and wetland design and permitting services to widen the channel at the existing crossing and replace the existing footbridge with a new structure.

Office: Rosebrook Business Park, Wareham, MA
A.D. Makepeace Company is building a business park that required a roadway crossing of an agricultural irrigation channel and associated vegetated wetland. B+T advised and coordinated with the design engineer regarding local, state and federal crossing requirements, the latter of which were revised during the design process. B+T’s regulatory analysis resulted in the “stream” crossing being less expensive than anticipated, due to an available exemption from typical stream crossing requirements due to the channel’s use for irrigation. B+T also designed a significant mitigation area that provided wetland, stream, Riverfront Area, and floodplain mitigation.