BRS Projects

ASSUNPINK CREEK DAYLIGHTING

BRS, Inc. worked with the City of Trenton and many local, state, and federal partners to design, fund, and implement daylighting of the Assunpink Creek.

History

Assunpink Creek is currently contained within a concrete box culvert between S. Broad Street and S. Warren Street in downtown Trenton. The City has been working for many years with the Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to demolish the culvert, which negatively impacts water quality, limits wildlife habitat, and constrains fisheries. Daylighting this 435-foot section of the Assunpink Creek, immediately adjacent to the state-owned Capital Place One Plaza building, required extensive stakeholder coordination. This block is also important historically, as the Assunpink hosted several early factories within this area, and George Washington later arranged the main body of the Continental Army here during the Second Battle of Trenton. As a result, the project has undergone extensive consultation by the State Historic Preservation Office (HPO), ensuring the significant nature of the site is preserved and available for future generations to appreciate. Ultimately, the property will be redeveloped as a vibrant urban park that will link the site to Mill Hill Park, a widely used public space to the east.

BRS, Inc. worked tirelessly to overcome challenges for the project, including funding shortfalls, negotiation of easements, and cleanup of contaminated soils, as well as stakeholder and community outreach.

BRS’s Role:

• Served as a third-party owner’s representative for the City of Trenton, the property owner.
• Prepared, secured, and ensured compliance with the following permits:
  • Department of Land Use Regulation (DLUR) Flood Hazard Area Individual Permit and Freshwater Wetlands General Permit #16.
  • Mercer County Soil Conservation District (MCSCD) certified Soil Erosion and Sediment Control (SESC) Plan.
  • NJDEP New Jersey Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit-by-Rule Discharge to Groundwater (NJPDES/DGW), allowing on-site recharge of groundwater during dewatering activities.
  • State historic preservation.
• Coordinated with the NJDEP, Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Treasury, Mercer County, New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), and other stakeholders to facilitate and streamline daylighting activities.
• Secured $4.2 million in NJDEP Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Grant funding and managed grant compliance.

Learn more about our Brownfields and Owner’s Representative Services.