FODS | Red Cedar Development, Lansing MI
Background
In 2019, Lansing, Michigan designated the long-abandoned, 90-acre Red Cedar golf course — a contaminated ‘brownfield’ — as a Qualified Opportunity Zone, and the EPA granted $600,000 to remediate the site. Its redevelopment into the $275 million Red Cedar Development would become one of the most economically impactful projects in Lansing’s recent history, connecting the State Capitol to Michigan State University along the Michigan Avenue corridor.
Hoffman Brothers Excavating, one of Michigan’s most reputable excavation companies, was selected to handle excavation for the Red Cedar Development.
Challenge
During excavation and subsurface construction, equipment exposure to residual chemicals from the former golf course — and cross-contamination of surface substrates — had to be carefully managed. Heavy traffic exiting the site also threatened to carry pollutants into surface runoff and track sediment and rock onto busy adjacent Clippert Street.
Solutions
- To combat construction trackout and cross contamination during the Red Cedar Development Project, FODS distributor interfaceh2o, provided Hoffman Brothers with a 1 x 8 mat FODS Reusable Construction Entrance configuration. Each 12’ x 7’ mat contains rows of staggered upright pyramids. The entrance was installed at the exit to the redevelopment site along Clippert Street. FODS mats reduce sediment tracking out onto nearby busy streets, enable contractors to keep contaminated soil on site, and stay stormwater compliant.
- FODS Reusable Construction Entrances reduces the cost of SWPPP compliance over the course of the project and results in major cost savings over the 10 year life span of the product. FODS have outstanding strength, are chemical resistant, rapidly installed, removed, relocated and require minimum maintenance unlike traditional rock entrances. FODS can be anchored to any substrate and are designed to withstand 80 tons. The FODS entrance provides Hoffman Brothers Excavating with an expedited entrance installation that is economical, meets minimum entrance and stormwater requirements, and is a more effective alternative to cumbersome riprap or rumble grate entrances.
Results
With the FODS entrance in place, Hoffman Brothers maintained stormwater and SWPPP compliance for the duration of the excavation, kept contaminated soil contained on site, and prevented sediment and rock from tracking onto busy Clippert Street. Because the mats are lifted, relocated, and reused rather than dug out and replaced, the crew avoided the recurring cost and downtime of rebuilding a traditional rock entrance — a cleaner, more economical path to compliance that carries forward across the full service life of the system.
Project Partners & Details
Client: Hoffman Brothers Excavating
Project: Red Cedar Development
Location: Clippert Street, Lansing, Michigan
Product: FODS Reusable Construction Entrance
