Update #19
PSE&G Weekly Project Update – Week of August 5, 2024
A contractor of Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) will continue to mobilize equipment and personnel for the John Fitch Way Project and prepare the site for remediation. The Project site is located in the portion of the state-owned parking lot near the New Jersey Department of Labor Building and Division of Taxation Building and adjacent to the helicopter pad.
Work began the week of April 15th. The first 12-16 weeks will focus on preparing the site for excavation. All soil disturbance activities are part of this preparation and outside the area of remediation. We anticipate that excavation inside the remediation boundary will begin on or about mid-August of this year.
Weekly updates are posted to the project website: https://jfitchwayproject.com/
Questions? Concerns? Call the Project Information Line at (855) 356-2383 or email us at comments@jfitchwayproject.com.
REMINDER: For the safety of employees and the community, the sidewalk and walking path adjacent to Route 29 (Market Street) and at the PSE&G project entrance has been closed. Please use an alternate route.
Anticipated Work to be Performed: August 5th – August 9th
- Continue to mobilize equipment.
- Complete construction of the enclosure.
- Continue installing the air filtration system for the enclosure.
- Continue to run chiller unit for the first part of the freeze wall.
- Continue to install piping for establishing a belowground freeze wall for subsequent areas within the remediation boundary. For more information, https://jfitchwayproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/freezewall.pdf.
- Continue to construct and test water treatment system.
- Install truck wash station.
- Continue perimeter air monitoring.
- Continue dust controls.
- Maintain soil erosion and sediment controls.
- Security guard posted 24/7.
Work Performed: July 29th – August 2nd
- Continued to mobilize equipment, including a crane for installation of the air filtration system inside the enclosure.
- Continued to construct the enclosure.
- Began installing the air filtration system for the enclosure.
- Continued to run chiller unit for the first part of the freeze wall.
- Continued to install piping for establishing belowground freeze walls.
- Continued to construct and test water treatment system.
- Continued perimeter air monitoring.
- Continued dust controls.
- Maintained soil erosion and sediment controls.
- Security guard posted 24/7.
Community Outreach
- Employee Information Sessions will take place on August 6th, 7th and 8th.
- Issued 18th weekly update and posted it to the project website.
- Weekly updates emailed to: NJ Department of Treasury (which in turn distributed to the NJ State Department of Labor, Division of Taxation, Hughes Justice Complex, Office of the Governor); City of Trenton officials; Mercer County Officials; community and neighborhood organizations.
Background: The project will remediate impacts to soil from the operations of a former manufactured gas plant (MGP) operated by a predecessor company of PSE&G in Trenton from the late 1840s to late 1890s. Approximately 100,000 tons of MGP-impacted soil will be excavated. Any infrastructure related to the former MGP operations that remain underground also will be removed. Most of the work will be performed within a temporary sprung structure (i.e., tented enclosure). Excavated soil will be transported to a permitted off-site soil treatment and disposal facility. The excavated areas will be backfilled with certified clean fill and restored to the pre-existing conditions. Groundwater encountered during soil remediation activities will be treated and conveyed off site in accordance with permitting.
The project is anticipated to take approximately 18 months to complete. All work is being performed in cooperation with and under the oversight of the Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP), and in accordance with the requirements and guidance of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).