Hawthorne Avenue Green Infrastructure Project

Chris Marini, P.E. led DGS's Division of Engineering team to complete their first ever in-house designed, joint-Department project with the Albany Water Department.

Chris's design of Hawthorne Avenue utilized a holistic approach where each design feature played off another, resulting in a sustainable and cost-effective project which accomplished its primary goals of both improving the streetscape and reducing the stormwater output into the downstream sewer system.

For example:
The streetscape improvements called for full replacement of the granite curb on each side of the street. This led to the design decision to utilize porous asphalt infiltration trenches along each side of the street. Cost savings were realized as the curb-line excavation applied to both design components above.

The streetscape improvements called for replacement of most existing trees and full sidewalk reconstruction. This led to the design decision to utilize "Cornell University" green infrastructure (GI) tree pits. The aforementioned infiltration trenches tied into the GI tree pits, which allowed for the dual benefit of increased stormwater exfiltration in addition to providing an increased water supply to help the new trees grow. Additionally, the CU soil reduces the risk of heaved sidewalk panels in the future from underlying tree roots (as it provides the roots with more space to grow).

Due to the success of the project, the City of Albany Division of Engineering won the 2021 APWA award for "Project of the Year" in the Self-Performance (aka in-house design) category.