October 2024 President's Report
Christopher P. Hersey, Project Executive, Suffolk Construction
Performing construction projects in Boston, I am often reminded that this is a unique geographic city with geology that has a constant history of extraordinary man-made changes since its founding in 1630. During tours of my sites, one of the first questions asked is if the land they are standing on was infilled at some time in the past, and my answer is often yes. The original peninsula land mass, named Shawmut by local Indigenous tribes, was connected to the mainland by a tidal causeway. It was selected for settlement by Puritans due to its maritime accessibility, fishing availability, defensive position, non-rocky coast, and the abundance of fresh water from springs near what is now Beacon Hill. Over four centuries, we have managed to add 1/6th to the area of Boston proper. The only US city with possibly more man-made acreage is San Francisco.
Boston was originally surrounded by tidal flats far from deep enough for ships to pass. As a solution, long fingerlike wharfs were built out into deeper water. The most famous of these is Long Wharf. A natural progression was to fill between these wharves to create land between the patchwork of protrusions creating a chaotic coastline. Over hundreds of years, levees and dams were implemented to control the water. Some of these were successful and others created more trouble than benefits.
One example, Mills Pond, was originally implemented by ambitious businessmen to power flour mills. However, due to the limiting of water flow the pond stagnated creating a mire of garbage, rot, dead animals, and chemicals. For any of us that have had the chance to stick a shovel this ground, there is a high potential that something nasty and unforeseen is uncovered in the infilled area. The Back Bay also has a similar nascence as a dam that was eventually backfilled.
From an engineering perspective, this history creates numerous unique challenges. Historic building foundation elements include wood piles, which are susceptible to rot with water level changes and inherently affected by droughts. Constructed during the 1870s, Trinity Church, one of Henry Hobson Richardsons’ masterpieces, has a dedicated pumping system to maintain the functionality of the original wood piles located in fill above Boston blue clay.
A secondary environmental impact lies in the lack of storm and surge protection where unprotected land coastline has been added. Climate resiliency projects are being implemented at sites across the city to address rising sea levels along the 47 miles of city coastline. One project I have recently seen raises the developments by five feet and another has included the design of a living levee. We will need creativity and ingenuity to address the myriad climate issues in the years to come.
The original coastline of Boston was formed by the natural erosion of softer bedrock, creating the original peninsula geometry discovered by settlers when they made their fateful decision to abandon Salem and sail to Charleston in search of more fertile land and less rocky shores. This softer bedrock is surrounded by harder bedrock as a geotechnical perimeter.
Driving through Boston is a reminder of the historic changes to the city, where roads and paths were defined by the type and timing of the geographic landscape. Traffic engineers are beholden to roadway orientations developed over hundreds of years as neighborhoods grew, many times on newly created land. This organic development of the city belies the lack of a grid system in many areas and the singular roadway patterns each neighborhood developed.
Charles C. Perkins, Boston for 100 Years (1895)
(Courtesy Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library
Since the beginning of BSCES, publishing engineering articles has been a key Society deliverable. For example, apropos to my discussion of development of Boston’s historic layout, David Woodhouse authored an article entitled, “The History of Boston: The Impact of Geology,” which was published in the Spring 1989 issue of our Civil Engineering Practice journal. Check it out! Featuring articles written by practitioners, back issues of the BSCES Journal can be found here. We are always looking for new content, please contact me at president@bsces.org with inquiries or articles.
This newsletter includes the following five articles. The Newsletter Editorial Board is looking for articles and relevant news items on a monthly basis. Please reach out to editorial board chair, Gus O’Leary (GOleary@kleinfelder.com), with any ideas or inquiries.
Brent Wist and Alec Zimmer from Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, authored an article on “Structural Assessment, Analysis, and Rehabilitation of Existing Elevator Support Structures.” Michael Sullivan, CHA, Frank Salmon, Skanska, and Theodore Boyle, MassDOT, wrote an article titled “Maffa Way and Mystic Avenue Superstructure Replacement Design Build Project – Phase 1.” Brian Brenner from Tufts University, authored “Three Flowering Bridges.” BSCES Government Affairs & Professional Practice Committee Chair Patrick Tierney, from Environmental Partners Group, An Apex Company, wrote about the beginning of the GA&PP Committee’s efforts to develop a Massachusetts Infrastructure Report Card. Lastly, Michelle Monette, from The Engineering Center Education Trust, wrote about Dr. Luciana Burdi and William Hover being named 2024 BSCES Honorary Members.