Passaic River Tidal CSRM

SVS, the facilitator leading the coastal storm risk mitigation project in Newark’s residential areas, has consistently demonstrated its dedication to adding substantial value to the endeavor. As the project unfolded, SVS identified an opportunity to optimize the team’s composition by hand-picking subject matter experts and even replacing one expert to better align with project needs. Steven Weinberg, Chief of Civil Works Section, wrote about SVS, “the expertise of this contractor greatly benefited the Government by recommending an atypical role of Constructability Assessor and removing the Electrical Engineer from the team roster.  This decision directly led to significant cost savings.” 

The scope of the project was ambitious, encompassing three segments, six floodwall segments, one levee segment, and various critical structures like road closures, railroad closures, and drainage outlets. The primary objective was to reduce the vulnerability of the area to hurricanes and storms by achieving a still water elevation of 14 feet NAVD88.

During the value engineering workshop, SVS’s Value Team focused on generating recommendations that would streamline the design of the Passaic River CSRM system while reducing maintenance complexity. The Value Team yielded several noteworthy recommendations, including the suggestion to perform interior drainage and utility relocation as a separate contract, thereby mitigating project risk. They also proposed innovative solutions for Segment 2 construction near the active rail lines, such as using stoplogs instead of swing gates and soil mixing beneath the rails rather than sheet piles. These measures were aimed at minimizing disruptions and optimizing construction efficiency.

The culmination of SVS’s efforts resulted in the development of recommendations with the potential to yield a remarkable 25% cost avoidance during the project’s execution. Furthermore, over the project’s lifespan, an impressive 36% cost savings is expected, all while maintaining the intended functional performance.