THE OPPORTUNITY

Montclair State University purchased an existing gravel parking lot at 35 Clove Road in Little Falls, NJ. The property was previously used for storage by an automobile dealership. The University tasked PS&S to develop this property for much needed additional campus parking. The new asphalt parking lot was to be connected to the campus via the adjacent University-owned parking lots.

THE CHALLENGE

The existing gravel lot required drainage improvements which were partially located within a freshwater wetland transition area and also within an area with shallow bedrock. Montclair State University wanted the project constructed such that it did not impact the surrounding campus parking lots or impede vehicular and pedestrian circulation on campus.

THE PS&S SOLUTION

PS&S created a phasing plan so that the construction of the lot did not impact the environmentally sensitive areas or student circulation. PS&S obtained NJDEP wetland transition area permits to allow the parking lot construction. PS&S reviewed the depth of rock at various locations in the area in the geotechnical report to determine the ideal location for stormwater improvements while minimizing the removal of bedrock. PS&S also recommended a pavement section for the parking lot based on the information provided in the geotechnical report. The final design resulted in a new asphalt parking lot providing an additional 375 car parking spaces for the University with improvements to the adjacent parking lots to connect the new parking lot to the campus.