Pare Corporation was retained by the City of Boston Parks & Recreation Department to provide engineering and construction observation services for the repair and construction of the steel sheet bulkhead bordering the Charles River at historic Langone Park. The services included close coordination with the contractor to address conditions that were encountered during construction, including design change requests and construction methodology, as well as restrictions created by tidal fluctuations affecting work schedules.

Repairs of the steel bulkhead were also required to support the additional loadings from the redesigned
park facility. Pare completed a braced bulkhead repair design, which allowed the existing steel bulkhead to remain in place while repairing deteriorated, non-serviceable steel rod ties and sheet pile braces. Pare’s design also added additional load acceptance capabilities, as well as resiliency features to account for past and future rises in sea levels—a key component of the Langone Park renovation.

Due to the long maritime history of the area, many challenges were encountered from previous facilities that were discovered during construction. Design modifications were made in the field by Pare to aid in maintaining the tight schedule, which was required due to tidal restrictions and winter weather conditions.

This project won the Environmental Business Council’s 2022 Climate Change Project of the Year Award.