Contaminated Soil Management at Construction Sites

Abstract

New Jersey Transit (NJT) is constructing a 34-km-long, dual-track Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit System (H-BLRTS) along the Hudson River water front in New Jersey to ease local traffic congestion and to improve the region's economy through restoration of contaminated and abandoned sites. The proposed development includes the construction of various passenger stations and park-and-ride facilities. Among many environmental issues that posed challenges during the planning and construction of the project were the appropriate remedial alternatives for the management of contaminated soil and ground water. A soil reuse plan (SRP) was proposed under which low-to-moderate level contaminated soil excavated during construction was reused on site under paved areas and engineered structures where they would pose no risk to the public. The SRP has been successfully implemented at one of the proposed park-and-ride facilities, known as the Gateway Transit Hub, located within the H-BLRTS, in Jersey City, New Jersey.