Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park Grand Opening!
NTH was part of the team led by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), award winning park designers from Brooklyn, NY, who won the competition to develop a design for the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park in Detroit in 2018.
The site was acquired by the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy in the early 2000s with their goal of expanding the Detroit Riverwalk. The site was previously and railroad yard and after its acquisition was called West Riverfront Park. NTH had previously provided environmental services associated with evaluating contamination at the site and preparing closure documents to cap the site for its use as a park. At that time, the park was basically a grass covered area with access to the riverfront for fishing.
Services that NTH provided to the MVVA included geotechnical investigation of soils both on shore and offshore, marine engineering for design of the natural rip rap shoreline as well as structural design of repairs to a section of relieving platform that remained, settlement evaluation due to grade raise, shoreline global stability evaluation due to grade raise. NTH also provided foundation design for the sport house, park equipment and lavatory.
NTH also provided environmental services during the design preparing due care documents for construction. In addition, NTH worked with the EPA and US Army Corps of Engineers to implement sediment containment in the marine design so that the project could qualify for funding by the EPA Great Lakes Initiative.
During construction, NTH evaluated geotechnical instrumentation data so that the hill areas on the park could be safely constructed without developing a stability failure into the Detroit River. During construction NTH also provided field engineering services to remediate sinkholes that developed in areas where the old shoreline system was left in place.
