KS Engineers, P.C. (KSE) provided comprehensive engineering design, permitting, bid document preparation, post-design support, and construction inspection services for the emergency replacement of Atlantic County Bridge HML-66, which carries New York Avenue over Gravelly Run. KSE’s responsibilities included preliminary and final bridge design, roadway design, topographic and utility survey, geotechnical engineering, hydraulic analysis, environmental permitting, right-of-way plans, cultural resources screening, utility coordination, preparation of construction plans and specifications, cost estimating, and construction-phase engineering support. KSE also provided full-time Resident Engineering inspection services during construction, including daily documentation, materials verification, RFI coordination, shop drawing and submittal review, as-built recordkeeping, and recommendations to address changed field conditions.
The existing bridge, constructed in 1949, was a 19-foot-span rolled steel multi-beam structure rated structurally deficient and requiring emergency replacement. Because the project advanced under an emergency environmental permit, KSE was required to complete final plans, specifications, and bid documents on an accelerated schedule. The project was designed in three months and constructed during the following three months, demonstrating the successful application of Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC).
KSE selected a precast concrete arch bridge for the replacement structure and recommended a separate contract with the precast fabricator to allow fabrication to begin before the general construction contract was bid. This approach compressed the overall delivery schedule and allowed Atlantic County to restore the crossing as quickly as possible.
During preliminary engineering, KSE prepared topographic and utility mapping extending 250 feet on both sides of the existing bridge and completed stream cross-sections at 50-foot intervals for 500 feet upstream and downstream of the structure. KSE coordinated with utility owners to identify conflicts, performed soil borings and laboratory testing, and prepared geotechnical and foundation recommendations.
Permitting was a critical component of the assignment. KSE prepared emergency permit submissions under the New Jersey Pinelands Commission emergency provisions, a Statewide General Permit #10 application under the Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act Rules, and flood hazard verification and permit applications supported by detailed environmental documentation. KSE also completed cultural resources screening for submission to the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office.
Final design documents included structural plans, roadway alignments, profiles, grading, drainage, guide rail, soil erosion and sediment control, signing and striping, quantity estimates, and construction cost estimates prepared in accordance with NJDOT, AASHTO, and Atlantic County standards.
The project’s accelerated delivery, technical excellence, permitting strategy, and successful emergency bridge replacement were recognized with the American Council of Engineering Companies of New Jersey (ACEC NJ) Award for Engineering Excellence.
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