2021 Progress Updates

Progress Update, Week of March 22, 2021

During the week of March 22, the Gowanus Remediation Team continued work along the canal. Our crews relocated the dredging barge to prepare for dredging south of the Carroll Street Bridge. Debris was removed and the site was inspected in advance of resuming dredging. Dredging south of the Carroll Street Bridge will continue over the coming weeks.

Additionally, this week our crews conducted pin pile installation at Turning Basin 1 (TB1). This operation involves driving steel piles (similar to steel beams) into the canal bed at multiple locations in order to support steel templates utilized as a guide for pipe pile installation. Pipe piles will be installed at TB1 to create a temporary bulkhead wall to support fill materials on the upland side of the canal while dredging occurs. Ultimately, the Carroll Street Bridge and the Union Street Bridge will have pipe pile walls installed as bulkheads to support the bridge abutments during future phases of dredging.

The dredged material is loaded from smaller “mini” hopper barges that can navigate the narrow canal to the transloading area at Huntington Street. The dredged material is then dewatered and transloaded to larger barges and shipped across New York Harbor to the dredged material processing facility in New Jersey.

The Carroll Street Bridge will remain in the open position while the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) performs maintenance on the bridge. Carroll Street will be closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic until further notice.

Photos of construction activities are provided below.

*Completed reassembly of the dredging barge.*

*Debris removal between 3rd Street and Carroll Street.*

*Continued debris removal between 3rd Street and Carroll Street.*

*Dewatering and transloading mini hopper barge materials into the large hopper barge.*

Progress Update, Week of March 29, 2021

During the week of March 29 the Gowanus Remediation Team continued pin pile installation and dredging along the canal.

This week dredging resumed between the Carroll Street Bridge and the Union Street Bridge. The dredged material is loaded from smaller “mini” hopper barges that can navigate the narrow canal to the transloading area at Huntington Street. The dredged material is then dewatered and transloaded to larger barges and shipped across New York Harbor to the dredged material processing facility in New Jersey.

The GRT mobilized a work barge and positioned it between the Carroll Street Bridge and the 3rd Street Bridge. This barge is utilized for staging equipment and materials that are necessary to complete ongoing pile driving operations.

Crews installed pin piles north of the Carroll Street Bridge. Pin pile installation involves driving steel piles (similar to steel beams) into the canal bed at multiple locations in order to support steel templates utilized as a guide for pipe pile installation. Pipe piles will be installed at TB1 to create a temporary bulkhead wall to support fill materials on the upland side of the canal while dredging occurs. Ultimately, the Carroll Street Bridge and the Union Street Bridge will have pipe pile walls installed as bulkheads to support the bridge abutments during future phases of dredging.

Next week our crews will continue dredging between the Carroll Street Bridge and the Union Street Bridge and installing piles at Turning Basin 1.

Photos of construction activities are provided below.

*Bathymetry surveying underway between 3rd Street and Carroll Street.*

*Dredging material between Carroll Street and Union Street.*

*Continued dredging between Carroll Street and Union Street.*

Transportation of mini hopper barges between the excavator barge and the transloading
area. The 3rd Street Bridge is shown in the open position.

*Pin pile installation north of the Carroll Street Bridge.*

*Mobilizing the work barge north of the 3rd Street Bridge.*

Progress Update, Week of April 5, 2021

During the week of April 5 the Gowanus Remediation Team continued working along the canal. Crews continued dredging and raking the canal bed and mobilized additional equipment for pile driving operations.

This week dredging continued between the Carroll Street Bridge and the 3rd Street Bridge. The dredged material is loaded from smaller “mini” hopper barges that can navigate the narrow canal to the transloading area at Huntington Street. The dredged material is then dewatered and transloaded to larger barges and shipped across New York Harbor to the dredged material processing facility in New Jersey.

After dredging the target area, our crews raked the canal bed using an excavator equipped with a rake attachment. Raking the canal bed is conducted as preparation for in-situ stabilization (ISS). ISS is a remediation process by which contaminants are rendered immobile through reactions with stabilizing compounds mixed directly into the soil or sediment.

Pile driving operations continued this week. The GRT repositioned the work barge and completed the transfer of an additional crane that was floated to site. The work barge is utilized for staging equipment and materials that are necessary to complete ongoing pile driving operations.

Crews completed pin pile installation at Turning Basin 1 (TB-1). Pin pile installation involves driving steel piles (similar to steel beams) into the canal bed at multiple locations in order to support steel templates utilized as a guide for pipe pile installation. Pipe piles will be installed at TB-1 to create a temporary bulkhead wall to support fill materials on the upland side of the canal while dredging occurs. Ultimately, the Carroll Street Bridge and the Union Street Bridge will have pipe pile walls installed as bulkheads to support the bridge abutments during future phases of dredging.

Next week crews will continue raking between the Carroll Street Bridge and the 3rd Street Bridge, and preparing equipment and materials for pipe pile installation at Turning Basin 1.

Photos of construction activities are provided below.

*Dredging sediment between 3rd Street and Carroll Street.*

*Preparing to walk a crane onto the work barge.*

*Transferring a support crane onto the work barge.*

*Installing pin piles at Turning Basin 1.*

*Installation of the rake attachment for the excavator.*

Progress Update, Week of April 12, 2021

During the week of April 12 the Gowanus Remediation Team continued working along the canal. Crews raked the canal bed and mobilized additional equipment for pile driving operations.

The canal bed was raked between 3rd Street and Carroll Street using an excavator equipped with a rake attachment. Raking is conducted as preparation for in-situ stabilization (ISS), a remediation process by which contaminants are rendered immobile through reactions with stabilizing compounds mixed directly into the soil or sediment. ISS will begin in RTA 1 in Summer of 2021.

Staging at the pipe pile work barge remains ongoing between 3rd Street and Carroll Street. Equipment mobilization and material preparations are continuing. Crews began probing pipe pile installation locations for possible obstructions. Any obstructions that are identified will be safely removed prior to pipe pile installation.

Pipe piles will be installed at Turning Basin 1 (TB-1) to create a temporary bulkhead wall to support fill materials on the upland side of the canal while dredging occurs. Ultimately, the Carroll Street Bridge and the Union Street Bridge will have pipe pile walls installed as bulkheads to support the bridge abutments during future phases of dredging. Next week crews will continue preparing for pipe pile installation at TB-1.

Photos of construction activities are provided below.

*Raking the ISS areas between 3rd Street and Carroll Street.*

*Probing for obstructions along the southern portion of the Carroll Street bridge.*

Progress Update, Week of April 19, 2021

During the week of April 19 the Gowanus Remediation Team continued mobilizing additional equipment for pile driving operations. Phase 1 of dredging in RTA 1 is complete. The next phase of dredging is scheduled for 2022.

This week GRT crews continued to assemble and test equipment on the work barges located between 3rd Street and Carroll Street. These preparations are to support the upcoming pipe pile separation wall installation at Turning Basin 1 (TB-1). Pipe piles will be installed at TB-1 to create a temporary bulkhead wall to support fill materials on the upland side of the canal while dredging occurs. The Carroll Street Bridge and the Union Street Bridge will also have pipe pile walls installed as bulkheads to support the bridge abutments during future phases of dredging.

Workers completed attaching the drill assembly to the drill tower on the crane barge. The drill assembly will be used to drive the pipe piles into the canal bed. The drill tower provides structural support for the drill assembly. The drill string, a column of equipment that transmits drilling fluid and torque to the downhole hammer and bit, was moved into position. The crane that will operate the drill tower was connected to supporting equipment staged on the nearby compressor barge and testing of the equipment is ongoing. The pipe pile barge was moored north of 3rd Street. A barge for containing drill cuttings produced during pile driving was moored in position.

At TB-1, welders completed installation of the wale, a steel template built onto the recently installed pin piles (similar to steel beams). The wales will help guide the pipe piles into position as they are driven into the canal bed. Assembly also began for the wales on the south side of the Carroll Street Bridge.

Photos of construction activities are provided below.

*Assembly of equipment on the pipe pile work barge and compressor barge.*

*Connecting the drill assembly to the drill tower.*

*Continued connecting of the drill assembly to the drill tower.*

*Welding the wale onto pin piles on the south side of the Carroll Street bridge.*

*Mooring the pipe pile barge north of 3rd Street.*

Progress Update, Week of April 26, 2021

During the week of April 26 the Gowanus Remediation Team continued preparations for pile driving operations. Crews continued to assemble and test equipment on the work barges located between 3rd Street and Carroll Street.

On the morning of Tuesday April 27, the Gowanus Remediation Team was made aware of an overnight release of hydraulic oil originating from one of the team’s vessels into the Gowanus Canal. The hydraulic oil was contained and the incident has been resolved.

The release was of Clarity Oil and is not classified as hazardous by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”). Clarity Oil is a mixture of highly refined mineral oils designed to meet hydraulic system performance requirements in environmentally sensitive areas.

All other work was halted to focus on containing the hydraulic oil. The hydraulic oil was contained by employing additional turbidity curtains, absorbent booms, and absorbent pads. An environmental response contractor was mobilized to the site to remove hydraulic oil from the water. EPA and US Coast Guard were notified immediately and worked in coordination with GRT contractors.

The Carroll Street Bridge and the Union Street Bridge will have pipe pile walls installed as bulkheads to support the bridge abutments during future phases of dredging.

Welders completed wale installation at the southeast corner of the Carroll Street bridge. A wale is a steel template built onto the recently installed pin piles (similar to steel beams). The wales will help guide the pipe piles into position as they are driven into the canal bed. Assembly has begun for the wale on the north east corner of the Carroll Street Bridge.

Photos of construction activities are provided below.

*Deploying absorbent booms surrounding a work barge.*

*Welding the wale on the southeast corner of the Carroll Street bridge.*

Progress Update, Week of May 17, 2021

During the week of May 17 the Gowanus Remediation Team continued making progress with ongoing pile driving operations.

Pipe piles installation is in progress at Turning Basin 1 (TB-1), located between 3rd Street and Carroll Street. Pipe piles are being installed within the canal bed to create a temporary separation wall that will support fill materials on the upland side of the canal while dredging occurs within TB-1. Our crews continue to perform a variety of supporting activities to facilitate the pile driving operations including delivering materials, testing equipment, and maneuvering vessels.

While pile driving operations are underway there may be elevated levels of noise or vibrations produced by the associated equipment. Our crews continue to monitor project related vibrations in real time to ensure that all work is completed safely.

Photos of construction activities are provided below.

*Testing pipe piles prior to picking and placing into pipe rack for installation.*

*Picking up pipe pile prior to installation.*

*Continued installation of pipe piles at TB-1.*

*Close up view of construction progress at the TB-1 temporary separation wall.*

Progress Update, Week of May 24, 2021

During the week of May 24 the Gowanus Remediation Team continued with ongoing pile driving operations.

Pipe piles installation has commenced at the Carroll Street Bridge. Pipe piles are being installed at the Carroll Street Bridge to create bulkheads that will support the bridge abutments during future phases of dredging.

Our crews continue to perform a variety of supporting activities to facilitate the pile driving operations including installing scaffolding, delivering materials, testing equipment, and maneuvering vessels.

Photos of construction activities are provided below.

*Positioning the pipe pile work barge and compressor barge to prepare for pipe pile installation at the southeast corner of the Carroll Street bridge.*

*Picking up a pipe pile in preparation for installation.*

*Successfully installed pipe piles at the southeast corner of the Carroll Street bridge. Installation remains ongoing.*

Progress Update, Week of May 31, 2021

During the week of May 31 the Gowanus Remediation Team continued with ongoing pile driving operations. No work was performed on Monday May 31 in observance of Memorial Day.

Pipe pile installation continued at the southeast corner of the Carroll Street Bridge. Pipe piles are being installed at the Carroll Street Bridge to create bulkheads that will support the bridge abutments during future phases of dredging.

Wooden scaffolding has been installed at the Union Street Bridge. This temporary scaffolding will allow workers to conduct necessary replacement of submarine cables that are a part of the bridge’s control system.

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) has completed maintenance at the Carroll Street Bridge. A regular traffic pattern has resumed.

Photos of construction activities are provided below.

*Picking up a pipe pile to be set in the pipe rack at the Carroll Street Bridge.*

*Setting a pipe pile in the pipe rack at the Carroll Street Bridge.*

*Pipe piles installed at the south east corner of the Carroll Street Bridge.*

*Scaffolding installed on the northwest pier of the Union Street Bridge.*

Progress Update, Week of June 7, 2021

During the week of June 7 the Gowanus Remediation Team continued with ongoing pile driving operations.

Early in the week pipe pile installation continued at the southeast corner of the Carroll Street Bridge. Pipe piles are being installed at the Carroll Street Bridge to create bulkheads that will support the bridge abutments during future phases of dredging.

Midweek our crews shifted focus to complete outstanding pipe pile installation at Turning Basin 1 (TB-1). Pipe piles are being installed at TB-1, located between 3rd Street and Carroll Street, to create a temporary separation wall that will support fill materials on the upland side of the canal while dredging occurs within the Turning Basin.

Additional supporting activities continued at the Union Street Bridge to prepare for upcoming replacement of submarine cables that are a part of the bridge’s control system.

Photos of construction activities are provided below.