Client:
International Wildlife Alliance/Wayne County Parks / Wayne County

Location:
Trenton, MI

Prime Consultant:
Hamilton Anderson

Sub Consultant:
NTH Consultants, Ltd.

Client Name/Contact:
John H. Hartig, Refuge Manager; john_hartig@fws.gov; 734-692-7608

Total Project Budget:
$2,600,00

NTH Budget:
$213,800

Project Start:
2014

Project Completion:
2016

NTH’s Value Added
NTH's re-engineering eliminated underwater efforts, creating a design that was easier to build, able meet schedule restrictions, and saved $1,000,000.

Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Boat Dock & Fishing Pier
Re-Engineering Services

Project Overview
In 2000, legislators wanted to protect an important natural resource, 48 miles of shoreline on the Detroit River so they created the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. The School Ship Dock and Fishing Pier concept was part of the initial master plan developed by Hamilton Anderson in 2004 for the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Gateway site. The boardwalk style fishing pier extends 740-feet into the Detroit River providing fishing opportunities that were previously reserved for personal watercraft. The project was initially bid in 2014 and due to the underwater work components associated with the original design, the bids came in substantially above the available construction funds. 

Wayne County Parks retained Hamilton Anderson and NTH to deliver engineering suggestions to develop a revised design that would maintain the approved and funded concept and allow for construction within budget and schedule constraints. 

Project Scope
Working with staff from E.C. Korneffel Company, the HA/ NTH team re-engineered the fishing pier to eliminate the need for divers and extensive underwater construction efforts, utilize more conventional construction processes and materials and develop a design that was not only more buildable by more contractors but also significantly more cost effective. With the modifications to the design, the construction costs were reduced from the originally bid price of $4,379,000, to $3,389,000, a savings of nearly $1,000,000 and a reduction in the construction cost of over 22-percent without compromising the original design intent, the footprint or look of the proposed Boat Dock and Fishing Pier. In addition, working with E.C. Korneffel Company, the design team reviewed and accepted several alternatives that were submitted, providing additional savings to the project that resulted in a final construction budget of $3,100,000.  

Based on the design savings, construction of the project commenced in January 2016 and proceeded throughout the winter and spring to bring the project to fruition and provide a resource for the public to gain valuable access to the Detroit River and add to the overall benefit of the DRIWR.

This project fulfills the last major component of the Refuge Gateway master plan and is a critical asset in the USFWS’s mission to inspire and develop the next generation of conservationists.