Orangethorpe Grade Separation

UltraSystems was subcontracted by Stantec to provide biological and paleontological monitoring services and to characterize potentially contaminated/hazardous imported fill materials for the Orangethorpe Avenue and Tustin Avenue/Rose Drive railroad grade separation project within the Cities of Anaheim and Placentia, Orange County, California. Paleontological monitoring was required for ground disturbing work, including preliminary geotechnical borings, drain channel work, and grade-separation construction. Biological monitoring was required to identify biological resources that may be affected by various phases of the project. Biological monitoring included bird observations during annual nesting periods along adjacent roadways, residential neighborhoods and nearby groundwater-recharge lagoons. Paleontological and biological reports were prepared routinely to describe monitoring methods and findings. Based on soil sampling of potentially hazardous imported fill, and the comparison of results to regulatory criteria, imported soils were certified by UltraSystems as environmentally suitable as roadway fill. The project is expected to be competed in 2016.