Overview
SA's consulting expertise complements our proficiency in geotechnical, structural, seismic, geologic, hydrologic and hydraulic engineering, including design of new facilities and evaluations of existing/historic structures.
Our experience is broad-based, including dams, bridges, roads and highways, railroads, transit facilities, buildings, airports, pavements, pipelines, industrial and petrochemical plants and refineries.
We use our insightful approach to solve complex problems, and prepare innovative, thoughtful designs to meet client’s goals, reduce construction and maintenance cost, and meet regulatory criteria.
We are skilled and thorough in construction administration and oversight, guiding projects to successful completion while reducing construction cost overruns.
Geotechnical
SA investigates, evaluates, and solves complex subsurface problems, navigating projects through issues such as challenging subsurface conditions, sensitive adjacent structures, and tight schedule/budget constraints.
SA is experienced in geotechnical investigation, evaluation, design, and construction of new and existing buildings, bridges, embankment and gravity dams, roadways, earthworks, deep and shallow foundations, drilled shafts, micropiles, H-piles, slopes and retaining walls, rock cuts, ground improvement, and deep excavations in dense urban areas.
SA's capabilities include finite element modeling of soil-structure interaction and seepage/stability, foundation settlement and bearing capacity, field and laboratory testing, and seismic evaluation.
Structural
SA provides structural engineering analysis, design, and consulting services for a wide variety of projects, including new and existing buildings and bridges, historic structure rehabilitation, residential additions/renovations, and unique specialty projects.
Our structural expertise also integrates seamlessly into our geotechnical and water-related engineering services, such as design of dams and shallow/deep foundations, soil-structure interaction analysis, and preparation of designs, reports, and drawings.
We perform construction inspection and observation, destructive and non-destructive testing, forensic evaluations, and consult with owners, clients, architects and engineers on complex structural engineering problems.
Dams
Dams are unique infrastructure requiring specialized multi-disciplinary skills by experienced engineers such as Stephens Associates. We thrive on helping our clients evaluate difficult questions of repair, modification, and decommissioning alternatives for their dam in consideration of the various details, factors, and regulatory criteria innate to each project.
SA is experienced in dam engineering, including:
- Addressing Dam Safety Orders and regulatory criteria;
- Phase I and II inspections and evaluations;
- Alternatives analyses, feasibility studies, and decision making;
- Emergency Action Plans (EAP) and Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Plans;
- Hydrologic & hydraulic (H&H), geotechnical, and structural evaluations;
- Designing repairs and rehabilitations;
- Permitting and grant applications;
- Construction administration and oversight; and
- Liaising with MA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Office of Dam Safety (ODS) and NH Department of Environmnetal Services (DES) Dam Bureau
Hydrology and Hydraulics
SA excels at hydrologic and hydraulic evaluations, from analysis of site stormwater runoff for developments to riverine models of large, complex watersheds upstream of dams and bridges reaching hundreds of square miles.
Our clear visual presentations enable clients and owners to clearly understand and visualize predicted stages and flows and select design values for their bridges and dams in consideration of upstream and downstream impacts to structures and FEMA flood zones.
Our analysis and design capabilities include:
- Two-dimensional unsteady hydraulic modeling for detailed prediction of water elevations and velocities at complex bridges and dams and downstream impacts from dam breach;
- Design of high-efficiency (labyrinth weir) spillways, optimization of gate operations to meet complex flood-control requirements; and
- Calibration of hydrologic and hydraulic models to observed rainfalls, flows, and stage observations.
Consulting
We use our insightful approach to solve complex problems, and prepare innovative, thoughtful designs to meet client’s goals, reduce construction and maintenance cost, and meet regulatory criteria, including the following proficiencies:
- Preparing competitive and successful grant and loan funding applications, regulatory compliance, alternatives analysis, risk assessments, operation and maintenance plans, and emergency action plans;
- Helping owners satisfy dam safety orders and letters of deficiency;
- Asking the questions necessary to characterize the scope of the problem, identifying key issues, conceptualizing potential solutions, benefits/costs of alternatives relative to client goals and objectives, decision trees to assist in visualizing options; and
- Clearly comminucating the results of our evaluations to clients, owners, stakeholders, abutters, and the general public.
Design
SA designs insightful, cost-effective solutions for a wide variety of structures and projects, including:
- Historic structures, new structures, existing structures, seismic retrofit, repair/rehabilitation/upgrade/replacement;
- Concrete, structural steel and timber, composites, asphalt, mechanically-stabilized earth (MSE);
- Buildings, shallow and deep foundations, drilled shafts, micropiles, H-piles, parking structures, pavements, underpinning, ground improvement;
- Dams, earthwork, embankments, slopes, retaining walls, seawalls, piers, fish passage, channel stabilization, scour, pipelines, culverts, hydraulic design for dams and bridges;
- Code compliance, permitting, regulatory agency coordination, public presentations, abutter and stakeholder communication;
- Preparation of design reports, design drawings, cost estimates, specifications, bid and construction documents.
Construction
SA brings our experienced, thorough approach to a full range of construction-phase engineering services, including:
- Owner representation, assistance in construction bid advertisement, question response, pre-bid meetings, addenda, bid openings, and review of bids and bidder qualifications;
- Construction contract administration, submittal management and review, regulatory reporting, measurement and invoice review, field and change order review/ management/negotiation, claim support, third-party peer review, and forensic engineering;
- Construction quality assurance (CQA), on-site inspection and documentation, deep foundation and grouting observation and logging, and field and laboratory concrete and soil testing.
