Stearns Road Corridor Adaptive Management Plan

As part of the Stearns Road Corridor and Bridge project, the Record of Decision for the final Environmental Impact Statement proposed wetland mitigation to help protect existing sensitive resources and the creation of additional wetlands to mitigate any wetland impacts incurred as a result of the corridor-wide project and bridge. The resulting Adaptive Management Plan is included as part of the United States Army Corps of Engineers permit requirements and project environmental commitments.

WBK Engineering (WBK) prepared the plans, specifications, and estimates for the project. The Adaptive Management Plan was let in December of 2008 for construction, and the contract was awarded. Construction was initiated in the spring of 2009, with WBK as the on-site Resident Engineer during construction.

The project is located on five parcels and includes three project sites, located adjacent to the intersection of the proposed Stearns Road and Illinois Route 25 in unincorporated Kane County, Illinois. The parcels include the Roloff Property, Sandhill Annex, Whitegate Farm, Bio-Gro, and Elmhurst Chicago Stone.

WBK Engineering provided the following services on this project:

• Field data collection including tree inventories, vegetation inventories, wetland delineations, and soil samples

• Design of plan set including vegetative control, grading, drainage, erosion control, planting and seeding, and stormwater pollution prevention

• Preparation of bid documents including special provisions and estimates

• Environmental agency coordination

• Construction management including coordination with contractors, soil erosion and sediment control compliance inspections, oversight of native planting and seeding, daily reporting, and evaluation of pay items

• Monitoring of vegetation establishment

• Post-construction monitoring, reporting, and permit agency compliance coordination

The Stearns Road Corridor Adaptive Management Plan project earned the 2012 ACEC-Illinois Eminent Conceptor Award.

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