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NTH Joins the City of Detroit to Celebrate the Warren Gateway Ribbon Cutting for the Joe Louis Greenway

11/3/2023

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NTH staff recently attended the Warren Gateway Ribbon Cutting for the Joe Louis Greenway - a project that we've proudly been working on since 2017. The Warren Gateway is the first constructed trailhead on the Joe Louis Greenway (JLG), on the border of Detroit and Dearborn. It is a new four-acre park, featuring a signature playscape, a pavilion with flexible community space, fitness equipment, green infrastructure, and accessible parking. Warren Gateway was funded by the Ralph C Wilson Jr. Foundation and UTGO funds. 

The Joe Louis Greenway (JLG) is envisioned to be 27.5 miles of pathway that provides a safe loop around the city and connects Dearborn, Hamtramck and Highland Park. The project entails new trails, on-street bike lanes and links to existing trails. NTH’s expertise has been instrumental in conducting due diligence and developing a plan for complying with continuing obligations for the proposed Joe Louis Greenway. NTH is proud to contribute to this transformational project that links Detroit neighborhoods previously separated by freeways and other obstacles and revitalizes them with a family-friendly, multi-use path and more.

More about this ribbon cutting and project can be found here: 
https://detroitmi.gov/news/city-state-officials-join-community-celebrating-completion-joe-louis-greenways-stunning-new-west​
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Transformative Urban Industrial Site Renewal: GFL-Pontiac Materials Recycling Facility (MRF)

9/22/2023

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In 2021, GFL Environmental, Inc. selected NTH for the phased redevelopment of the former General Motors Pontiac Fiero Plant to a regional waste management complex, which included a modern transfer/processing station, vehicle maintenance/operations center, container repair shop, and a materials recycling facility (MRF).

The MRF occupies approximately 130,000 square feet of the former automobile plant, reusing the building elements (foundations, floor, roofing system, and walls), including a new tipping floor, baled recycling storage, and associated truck bays. NTH provided a range of consulting and engineering services to the project, including environmental due-diligence; environmental permitting; structural assessment; site-civil design; geotechnical engineering; subsurface utility engineering; and construction support. Successful blending of these services proved key to transforming a formerly unused and abandoned industrial site into a productive segment of the regional solid waste management system.

As part of this multi-year project, NTH assisted GFL with property acquisition due-diligence, a condition survey that included assessment of existing structural, utility, and related components for a waste transfer station, the recently constructed MRF, and planned additional developments within the 38-acre property acquired from General Motors.

NTH prepared several conceptual facility designs, which helped our client strategize and envision the ultimate end-use for the facility as a regional solid waste handling, recycling, and maintenance facility, incorporating existing useful assets at this nearly 75-year-old former automobile factory. Being responsible for the site-civil design components, NTH also navigated the labyrinth of existing site utilities, tunnels, and press-pits, to develop focused solutions for utilizing as much of the existing infrastructure as possible and developing new site utility design services for water, storm, and sanitary infrastructure.

The state-of-the-art MRF, completed in March 2023, is now operational, and contributes to Michigan’s overall recycling and sustainability goals. Equally important, the MRF provides an infusion of new employment, revenue, and taxes in Pontiac, Michigan, a financially challenged city.
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NTH’s ultimate long-standing experience on this site and solid relationship with the client, paired with a thorough understanding of GFL’s goals and objectives, allowed NTH to provide comprehensive support and robust engineering drawings for this site plan package.

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NTH Consultants, Ltd. Welcomes New Top Leadership

6/27/2023

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​Award-Winning Civil Engineering Firm Announces 'NTH 3.0' Leadership Transition
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NTH Consultants, Ltd. (NTH) today announced the execution of its leadership succession plan with the appointment of Jeffrey Jaros to President & CEO. Jeff originally joined NTH in 2005 as a Project Manager in the Environmental Division and rose through the ranks over the past 18 years to serve in various roles, including, most recently, Chief Operating Officer. 

NTH was incorporated in Michigan in 1968, founded by Jerry Neyer, Benedict Tiseo, and Kal Hindo, primarily as a geotechnical firm. Throughout the years, the firm has grown into a full-service professional consulting firm providing a wide range of services in civil, geotechnical, environmental engineering to a variety of public and private clients. More than a decade ago, the founders turned over the reins to a new generation of leaders, including Keith M. Swaffar, P.E. and Kevin Hoppe, P.E., outgoing CEO and now Executive Chairperson. In the 1980's the founders decided to begin the transition the firm into an employee-owned company through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), so that the employees would ultimately benefit directly from the company's success. Kevin and the executive team effectively led the company through the past two decades and worked hard to convert NTH into a 100% ESOP-owned company. With that goal reached, he now passes the torch to the NTH 3.0 leaders.

"More than 60% of businesses fail by their tenth year in operation, but NTH has managed to thrive for 55 years. We believe that our focus on our employee-owners has been the key to our continued success," said Kevin Hoppe, P.E., Executive Chairperson. "I have worked closely with Jeff over the past few years, as we carefully planned for this succession, and I am confident that he will continue our vision and lead NTH into the next decade."

Mr. Jaros has more than 30 years of experience providing environmental and risk mitigation expertise to clients. He has led NTH's Environmental Division for several years and has worked with the most prominent utility clients in Michigan. He will continue to work with the NTH Board, the executive management team, and the rest of the company's leaders to ensure we continue to make impactful contributions to the success of our clients, communities, and employees well into the future.
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Where is Geotechnical Engineering Headed?

6/7/2023

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By Deep Bansal, P.E., P.Eng, PMP
The field of geotechnical engineering plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of infrastructure projects, promoting sustainability, and mitigating potential risks. To stay informed and stay ahead of the game, it's essential to network with peers and stay abreast of emerging trends and opportunities. Let's begin the discussion!

Embracing Technological Innovations

The world of geotechnical engineering is undergoing a seismic shift as technology rapidly transforms the way we live and work. With the advent of drone surveys, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence, we are witnessing a revolution in how we approach site investigations, modeling, and risk assessments. These technological advancements are set to have a profound impact on the future of geotechnical engineering. By allowing us to collect more data, analyze it more quickly, and make better decisions about structural design and construction, we are witnessing a new era of possibilities. Companies that have diligently gathered and organized a comprehensive database of soil information can unlock tremendous benefits. With the help of AI, companies can leverage this valuable resource; they can revolutionize the way site investigation programs are designed and executed, ultimately leading to cost savings for their clients. In recent years, geophysical methods have emerged as powerful tools for characterizing subsurface soils. These non-intrusive techniques enable engineers to obtain valuable information about soil composition, layering, and potential geohazards without extensive drilling or excavation. By integrating geophysical surveys into the site investigation process, companies can gather critical data to complement the insights provided by soil databases.

Looking ahead, what do you envision for the future of soil databases and geophysical methods in geotechnical engineering? Are there any emerging technologies, data analytics methodologies, or integration strategies that show promise? How do you anticipate these advancements will further enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness of geotechnical investigations and infrastructure development?

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NTH and Give365 Clean-Up at the Barton Nature Area

5/17/2023

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Embedded in our company’s purpose and mission is our commitment to make impactful contributions to our clients and their communities. We partner with our municipal clients, not just to solve the challenges they have identified, but also to help them create sustainable, practical, and thriving places for families and businesses alike. With that in mind, we recently reached out to the City of Ann Arbor’s Volunteer and Outreach program, GIVE 365, to see how we could give back to one of the 162 parks in the Ann Arbor Park system.
 
We decided that the best use of our crew would be to help clean up the nature trails and grounds at the Barton Nature Area. NTH has a long history with Barton Dam going back to the late 1970s when we assisted the City with dam safety inspections of the earthen embankments. More recently, in the past ten years, NTH has worked at the Dam conducting seepage and stability analyses, and currently providing for the right embankment remediation project.
 
On Tuesday, May 15, we gathered a group of NTH staff, met with our guide Dominique from GIVE 365, and hit the trails in the Nature Area. It was a beautiful day for the activity, and we were pleased to be able to remove nearly 25 pounds of litter from the park. Our group enjoyed the day, and we look forward to more opportunities to help the communities in which we work.
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NTH contributes to the ASCE report card

5/10/2023

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Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) issues a Report Card depicting the condition and performance of American infrastructure in the format of a school report card; assigning letter grades based on the physical condition and needed investments for improvement. ASCE evaluates and assigns the grade based on eight key criteria: capacity, condition, funding, future need, operation and maintenance, public safety, resilience, and innovation.

ASCE has compiled state infrastructure report cards for all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. Michigan’s report card includes an evaluation/grading of the following 15 infrastructures:
  • Aviation
  • Bridges
  • Broadband
  • Dams
  • Drinking Water
  • Energy
  • Inland Waterway Navigation
  • Public Parks
  • Rail
  • Roads
  • Schools
  • Solid Waste
  • Stormwater
  • Transit
  • Wastewater
 
NTH's Rick Burns and Karen Okonta prepared the Solid Waste chapter for Michigan’s Infrastructure Report Card. ASCE will use this to support funding on the state and federal levels to improve this important component of the State’s overall infrastructure.

To read the full report click here: https://infrastructurereportcard.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Report-2023-MI-IRC-Final-WEB.pdf 
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Mackinaw Straits State Harbor - Project Update

5/8/2023

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By Jason Edberg, P.E., Chief Business Development Officer 

In late 2022, NTH was selected by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) to inspect and assess the condition of the shoreline structures and adjacent pavements at the Straits State Harbor, a facility constructed in the 1920’s and 1930’s as a passenger and car ferry terminal for the Mackinaw Straits Ferry, prior to the construction of the Mackinac Bridge. The reason for this inspection/assessment is that the MDNR is required by state law to operate and maintain the facility as an emergency route, should the Mackinac Bridge be taken out of service. The overall scope for this project also involved historic document review and digitalization, underwater inspections, field investigations, evaluations, and recommendations.

NTH sent a team up to Mackinaw City to perform underwater inspections, using our Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), of the various docks, piers, and shoreline protection systems, and assess the condition of the main structural elements (seawalls, cofferdams, and caissons). In addition, NTH also performed geophysical investigations to determine the cause of sinkholes that had appeared across the site. NTH performed geophysical exploration using ground penetrating radar (GPR) scans (also referred to as “lines”) along the various segments of the main harbor peninsula, adjacent to the lake, as well as using Multi-Channel Analyses of Surface Waves (MASW) on the North and South alignments of the main harbor peninsula. NTH also used non-destructive testing and evaluation of the pavements across the site to determine their load rating and remaining service life, with Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) testing performed by Applied Research Associates, Inc..
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Overall, NTH concluded that the facilities were in good condition, especially considering their age. The condition assessments revealed only minor defects in the various shoreline protection systems, primarily consisting of holes in the steel sheet pile elements and gaps in the timber cribbing structures that allow portions of the internal aggregate fill to “leak” out into the lake.
 
NTH recommended patching holes and gaps, performing test pits to investigate the buried anchorage elements of the deflected portion of the East Face Seawall, backfilling areas of surficial subsidence or “sinkholes” to original grade, replacement of bolts, replacement of lost aggregate fill within the structures, and repairing the damaged portion of the North Armored Shoreline.
 
In addition, based upon the pavement evaluation, NTH recommended sealing existing cracks to help reduce water infiltration, inspecting storm sewers via CCTV to identify soil loss, and sawcut and patch pavement depressions if deemed necessary by the CCTV inspections. If the site is to be used for commercial applications moving forward, NTH recommended that there be limitations on the vehicle load and/or frequency, and that there be an annual fee for access established, specifically for maintenance and future rehabilitation of the pavement.
 
Once the repairs are completed, it is reasonable to expect the structures to continue to perform over a 50-year remaining service life.
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Proposed Strengthening of the Annual National Ambient Air Quality Standard

4/10/2023

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NTH Sponsors Clinton River Watershed Council's 2023 Annual Meeting

4/6/2023

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NTH Consultants, Ltd. is proud to continue our sponsorship of the Clinton River Watershed Council for 2023, including their annual meeting on April 20, 2023. We share a common goal with the CRWC to protect our freshwater resources in the most populated watershed in the state of Michigan.  The Clinton River Watershed is a 760 square mile area comprised of thousands of lakes, ponds, wetlands, marshes and bogs as well as coldwater tributaries, brooks and streams. The streams and rivers all drain into Lake St. Clair.

​Through the help of sponsors, the CRWC conducts work year-round to monitor water quality and protect the diverse ecosystems. They host, facilitate and oversee wide-ranging programs and events including weekly clean-ups, education programs, community events and more for people of all ages. 

Learn more at https://www.crwc.org/events/community/annual-meeting. We hope to see you at the annual meeting.
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NTH Celebrates International Women's Day!

3/8/2023

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We would like to take the time today to highlight our appreciation for all of our hard-working women. At NTH we are very proud of the accomplished professional women with whom we are fortunate to work with day-in and day-out. Although we are highlighting their accomplishments today, we know how important they are to our success every single day of the year! 
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    NTH Consultants, Ltd. (NTH) is a nationally recognized engineering firm specializing in Civil, Geotechnical, Environmental, and Facilities Engineering. 

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