Large infrastructure projects rarely move in a straight line. They require careful planning, constant coordination, flexible problem-solving, and a clear way to keep every stakeholder aligned as conditions change in the field.
That was the central theme of a recent NACE Connect webinar featuring Infotech and BL Companies, where project leaders discussed the Harbor Brook Channel Improvements Project in Meriden, Connecticut. The broader Harbor Brook effort represents more than $120 million in total investment across 15 coordinated projects, all focused on reducing chronic flooding, improving aging infrastructure, restoring environmental conditions, and creating new public access for the community.
BL Companies supported one major piece of that program: a $12.7 million improvement project along a one-mile stretch of Harbor Brook. As Steve Frazier, Senior Project Manager at BL Companies, explained, the goal was straightforward but significant: “to improve the floodplain, to reduce it, to eliminate or reduce the flooding experiences that happened throughout the corridor.”
Within that one-mile project area, more than 150 properties had floodplain impacts. Private homes and businesses flooded regularly, and flooded roads could also impact emergency response times. To address those risks, the project widened and lowered the brook channel, increased flood storage, restored wetlands, enhanced the stream environment, and replaced infrastructure that had become a hydraulic pinch point.
A Flood Project That Became a Community Asset
One of the defining features of the Harbor Brook project was that it was not only about flood control. The project also incorporated a 3,500-foot paved multi-use path, turning what had been an overgrown and largely hidden brook corridor into a visible public asset.
Before construction, Frazier noted, “you might not even know the brook was there.” Opening the corridor and adding the trail helped “bring people to nature” while also supporting transportation and recreation in a dense urban area.
That community benefit has continued beyond construction. Matt Stark, Senior Project Manager at BL Companies and chief inspector on the project, said he still drives by the project multiple times a year.
“It’s great to see that people are using the multi-use trail, that it’s connecting the community in a positive manner,” Stark said. “You see people biking out there.”
He also recalled students from a nearby technical high school asking questions during construction, then later using the completed trail to walk home. “It was just really great to see the benefits of the project all come together,” he said.
Planning and Permitting Set the Foundation
For agencies preparing similar flood mitigation work, one of the clearest takeaways was the importance of planning at the program level before breaking work into individual projects.
The City of Meriden and its project partners developed a master plan for the full four-mile Harbor Brook corridor. That larger framework helped guide the work and allowed the city to pursue state and federal permits at the master plan level.
Frazier said that approach helped streamline later phases: “Being able to permit the whole four miles long worth of brook to master plan level definitely saved time on permitting.”
The team also invested heavily in environmental investigation during design. Because contaminated soil and sediment were present in areas along the brook, BL Companies performed test pits, soil sampling, and water sampling before construction. That allowed the project team to identify risks earlier, define how contaminated materials would be handled, and account for those costs in the construction documents.
As Frazier explained, that upfront investigation helped ensure “our plans and specs guided the contractor for what they needed to do with that material,” reducing risk once work was underway.
Staging Required Constant Coordination
The Harbor Brook project was spread across a mile-long corridor in a constrained urban environment. Access points had to be threaded between properties, businesses, roads, bridges, and existing infrastructure. In some areas, contractors had to work around contaminated sediment and carefully manage water flow during excavation.
Stark summarized the level of complexity simply: “This project had everything you could possibly want as an inspector.”
That included channel excavation, contaminated material handling, sewer bridge replacement, soil nail walls, retaining walls, signal improvements, sidewalk replacement, subcontractor coordination, and work near a state road.
Sequencing also mattered. The team had to think carefully about whether to begin upstream or downstream, how to manage water during excavation, and how to avoid recontaminating areas that had already been completed.
The project’s complexity was also visible during weather events. Stark recalled a flash flood during construction where the river rose roughly two feet in about 20 minutes. Crews were able to move workers and equipment out of harm’s way quickly, but the event reinforced how dynamic field conditions can be on flood mitigation work.
Inspectors Also Played a Public-Facing Role
Because the brook ran directly behind homes and businesses, the project team had to communicate with residents throughout construction. Inspectors knocked on doors, explained upcoming work, answered questions, and helped property owners understand the long-term benefits of the project.
“I think one of the hats that we wear as inspectors are also public relations directors,” Stark said.
Those conversations were especially important when homeowners had changed since the design phase or when residents were unsure why construction was happening behind their property. The team had to explain the purpose of the work, how properties would be restored, and how the project could reduce future flood risk.
The results were substantial. Within the one-mile project area, the improvements removed 80 properties entirely from the floodplain and reduced floodplain impacts for many others. Frazier called it “a huge benefit” for property owners, particularly because once FEMA map revisions are completed, some owners may no longer need to pay for flood insurance.
Digital Construction Management Helped Keep the Project Organized
With hundreds of itemized pay items, multiple inspectors, multiple work zones, and ongoing contractor coordination, project documentation was a major challenge.
BL Companies used Appia® to manage daily work reports, contract time, pay items, quantities, change orders, estimates, and project visibility. Instead of relying on paper records or scattered files, the inspection team could document work digitally and review information in one central system.
Stark said Appia was especially valuable because the project involved so many different phases and moving parts.
“Appia made a really big difference in my life and organizing everything, including for change orders as well,” he said. “It was a great tool to have on the project.”
On a typical day, the team used Appia to manage daily work reports, contract time, and pay items across an itemized contract that included everything from earth excavation and channel excavation to controlled material handling, crosswalk equipment, pavement markings, and more.
“Managing those contract items made it — these hundreds of contract items — made it so much easier,” Stark said. “It was perfect to use. Made our life a lot easier.”
Appia also helped provide visibility to the city, contractor, design team, and supervisors. When questions came up about payments or quantities, the project team could give stakeholders access to the information they needed.
“There’s no surprises,” Stark said. “We can make it visible to whoever we needed to.”
When asked if there was a moment where he could not imagine managing the Harbor Brook project without Appia, Stark’s answer was direct: “I couldn’t imagine not having it on the Harbor Brook project.”
The Bigger Lesson: Complexity Requires Structure
The Harbor Brook project demonstrates what it takes to deliver complex infrastructure work in a constrained urban environment. Success depended on early planning, strong permitting strategy, detailed environmental investigation, thoughtful staging, proactive communication, and reliable project documentation.
It also required a team mindset. Designers, inspectors, the city, the contractor, subcontractors, environmental specialists, surveyors, and permitting agencies all had different roles to play. Keeping that work aligned required more than technical expertise; it required shared visibility and steady communication.
As Stark put it, “We’re not just inspectors. We’re facilitators.”
For infrastructure owners managing projects at this scale, Frazier offered a clear lesson: “Come up with that master plan and then stick with that master plan.”
That long-term commitment helped Meriden reduce flood risk, strengthen infrastructure, restore environmental conditions, and create a new community asset. For the residents now walking, biking, and commuting along the trail, the Harbor Brook project is more than a flood mitigation effort. It is a visible investment in a safer, more connected, and more resilient community.
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Nate Binder
Digital Marketing Manager
A proud graduate of Florida State University, Nate works with subject matter experts and sales professionals to produce targeted marketing collateral.