Fisher Associates Receives the APWA CNY Environment Transportation Project of the Year Award
February 17, 2023
Congratulations to the City of Syracuse for receiving the APWA CNY Environment Transportation Project of the Year Award for their recently completed Solar Street Improvements Project.
Solar Street, an Urban Collector in the City of Syracuse, consisted of two 12-foot wide curbed travel lanes with a two-way center turn lane. This reconstruction project extended the service life of the pavement structure from Hiawatha Boulevard to 700 feet east of Bear Street, completed the sidewalk network between Destiny USA Mall and Syracuse’s Inner Harbor, and improved the safety of pedestrians crossing Solar Street and Bear Street.
Prior to design and construction, a Hazardous Waste/Contaminated Materials Assessment of the project corridor was conducted. The initial screening identified 180 spills in the project area, and a prior area use having been the location of major oil storage facilities (larger than 400,000 gallons). As a result, soil borings were taken along the project ROW to determine the levels of contamination present. The results of these borings indicated the presence of semi-volatile organic compounds and heavy metals that exceeded the NYSDEC soil cleanup objectives. This resulted in environmental monitoring and disposal being required during construction.
A portion of the project included the design of 60 tree pits with a special soil mixture that provides a better environment for trees to grow and thrive. The City of Syracuse installed trees in all the tree pits as part of its Urban Forestry Master Plan. Street trees benefit cities and towns by reducing the amount of pollution entering waterways, combating heat stress and the effect of urban heat islands, and improving health by removing street-level air pollution including carbon dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfuric dioxide, and small particulate matter.
Fisher is proud to have been a partner to the City of Syracuse on this significant reconstruction and pedestrian safety project that has been recognized by APWA CNY as the 2022 Environment Transportation Project of the Year.
