Water + Stormwater
Hub RTP McAdams Project Location: Durham, North Carolina Project Start Date: 1 March 2015 Project Completion: 26 October 2023
Project Team: Amos Clark, PE (water resources principal), Lee Weaver, PE (civil engineering), Rebecca Stubbs, PE (stream enhancement), Craig Ballard (stream enhancement), Maria Torres, PE (FEMA modeling) Project Background: Hub RTP is a 40-acre transformative mixed-use project in Research Triangle Park (RTP). RTP created a new zoning district specifically for this site with the goal of developing retail, hotel and residential uses which had been excluded for the previous 50 years. This project adds amenities that attract visitors not just for work, but for living and playing, allowing RTP to continue competing with alternative research parks worldwide. McAdams developed the initial master plan for Hub RTP and provided surveying, subsurface utility engineering (SUE), stream restoration design, flood modeling, environmental impact permitting and civil design expertise for the infrastructure development. Central to the site lies a tributary to Burdens Creek which had been straightened and banks lined with riprap in the 1960s providing little experiential benefit or ecological function to the site. The opportunity to enhance the stream and establish a centralized, open-space amenity was critical in establishing Hub RTP as a desirable destination. Impact: The stream enhancement design modified the existing channel cross-section, incorporated subtle meanders, and adjusted the profile to improve bedform diversity establishing riffle-pool sequences as is typical of North Carolina Piedmont streams. Design parameters for dimension, pattern, and profile were developed using a combination of regional curve and reference reach data. To provide long-term stability to the urban stream with a developed watershed, boulder j-hook grade control structures and boulder toe bank protection measures were utilized. McAdams worked closely with the landscape architect in developing a robust planting plan of native grasses, shrubs, and trees whose root systems will provide streambank and slope stability and shade to the stream. A substantial pedestrian bridge was an important design element to allow visitors to experience the stream enhancement. In addition to the stream enhancement project, McAdams was tasked with designing and obtaining permits for several other major infrastructure elements that serve Hub RTP and ensure future development within the greater RTP area will have a foundation in place to support ambitious growth plans. Each of these project elements came to fruition as a result of investment of public funding from Durham County.
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