Town of Sheffield, MA Sheffield, MA

Rannapo Road Relocation

BSC Group was tasked with the stabilization of a riverbank by the relocation of an approximate 1000 feet of Rannapo Road in Sheffield, MA. The road is located along the banks of the Housatonic River, and over time the river eroded the bank and led to a section of the roadway being washed out. BSC prepared a Hazard Mitigation Grant that successfully led to a FEMA grant to the Town, where it had been decided to relocate the roadway away from the river and install a riprap layer at the top of the bank to mitigate further erosion.

A survey was performed which included the preparation of both permanent and temporary easement plans amidst the project. To support the stabilization of the riverbank, BSC designed the relocation, shifting it away from the existing banks of the river and establishing stormwater management through a swale and vegetated buffer at the previous location.

The project promotes resiliency, expanding the buffer between river and road, improving rare and endangered species habitat by careful selection of vegetation stabilization and landscaping, as well as the creation of additional flood storage adjacent to the river.