Construction Consulting Project Profile - Boston Harbor/Somerville Tide Gate Replacement
Beacon was retained by a leading surety company to help with the completion of a specialized marine construction project in Somerville, MA, just a few miles northwest of Boston. The project entailed the replacement of the "Somerville Tide Gate" which is part of the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority's (MWRA) combined sewer overflow (CSO) system. Tide gates are devices that help isolate sewer system piping from natural bodies of water and/or prevent river water from entering a sewer (or sewage treatment system) during high tides and river flooding events.
The tide gate replaced is located at the discharge of an 84-inch outfall pipe, a combined sewer overflow (CSO) from the Somerville Marginal CSO Treatment Facility (which leads to a permitted discharge location in the Mystic River). The construction contract included the fabrication of the new 6' by 6' tide gate, fabrication of stop logs to isolate the vault structure while dewatering, cleaning and removing the existing tide gate, preparing & coating the thimble surface, and installing the new tide gate.
Beacon's team helped the Surety to ensure that the project was successfully completed in June of 2023. Beacon facilitated the completion of the project by working with the General Contractor and providing an on-site Construction Consultant / Supervisor to oversee and monitor the work. Because the river level can increase by as much as 12' during high tides, the work had to be performed during specific hours when the tide was low. Beacon has a long and successful track record of working on marine construction projects and projects for the MWRA system.
