PSE&G Weekly Project Update – Week of December 23, 2024

Update #39

PSE&G Weekly Project Update – Week of December 23, 2024

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. For the safety of employees and the community, the sidewalk and walking path adjacent to Route 29 (Market Street) and the PSE&G project entrance are closed. Please use an alternate route.

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.

Ongoing Monitoring & Mitigation Measures During Remediation

  • Dust suppression and odor controls.
  • Odor assessment walks daily.
  • Air monitoring within the enclosure.
  • Perimeter air monitoring.
  • Enclosure air filtration system will be on during remediation work hours.
  • Vibration monitoring will be conducted during the remedial work and on the nearest onsite buildings.
  • Trucks carrying impacted soil will be covered and wheels washed before exiting the site.
  • Soil erosion and sediment controls.
  • Site security 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Anticipated Work to be Performed: December 23rd – December 27th             

  • No work will take place on Wednesday, December 25th in observance of the holiday.
  • Continue to set up truck wash station for Phase 2. 
  • Continue to set up backfill staging area for Phase 2.
  • Begin to remove freeze pipes from Phase 1 area.
  • Complete reconnecting electric and start the air filtration system prior to excavation.
  • Begin Phase 2 excavation.
  • Continue to run chiller unit of freeze walls for Phase 2 of the project. 
  • 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.

Anticipated Work to be Performed: December 30th – January 3rd              

  • No work will take place on Wednesday, January 1st in observance of the holiday.
  • Continue Phase 2 excavation.
  • Continue to remove freeze pipes from Phase 1 area.
  • Continue to run chiller unit of freeze walls for Phase 2 of the project. 
  • 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.

Work Performed: December 16th – December 20th                        

  • Completed assembly of enclosure in the Phase 2 area.
  • Relocated air filtration system for Phase 2. Reconnected duct work and began to reconnect electric.
  • Began to set up truck wash station for Phase 2. 
  • Began to set up backfill staging area for Phase 2.
  • Continued to run chiller unit of freeze walls for Phase 2 of the project. 
  • Continued to install piping for establishing belowground freeze walls, which includes trenching outside of excavation limits.

Community Outreach 

  • Issued 38th 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).