The City of Citrus Heights constructed a new bicycle and pedestrian trail parallel to Old Auburn Road between Fair Oaks Blvd and Watchtel Way. AWE provided a range of environmental services, including preparing an NES, wetland delineation, and cultural resources reports in accordance with the Caltrans Local Assistance Procedures Manual. Working with project engineers to understand the scope and dynamics of the project, AWE was able to help avoid sensitive resources and minimize impacts during the design phase. This enabled us to prepare a detailed NES document which Caltrans approved with no comments or edits, saving the City critical time and budget.
Further, after initial cultural resource investigations and discussions with tribal representatives indicated potential archaeological sensitivity at the site, Caltrans requested that an Extended Phase I archaeological study be completed, which threatened to delay project approval. Working closely with Caltrans District 3 Local Assistance, tribal representatives, and City staff, AWE mobilized quickly to complete the requested field study and receive Caltrans approval in less than five weeks. Additionally, AWE used an innovative approach to minimize costs having our archaeologists oversee a California Conservation Corps crew who assisted with subsurface shovel testing at a fraction of the cost of using on-call cultural resource technicians. Because of our collaborative approach and quick response to this unexpected request, the project approval stayed on schedule and the trail was constructed in a timely fashion.
Services Provided: Technical Studies, Environmental Planning, Accelerated Project Scheduling
