HAVERHILL — The 47-space parking lot in Railroad Square next to the downtown train station will reopen tomorrow after being closed since Oct. 19 for an environmental cleanup.
The cleanup of the property at 57 Granite St., known as the "Ted's for Tires" lot, clears the way for a $10-million parking garage the city plans to begin building there next summer.
The lot will remain open for public parking until construction begins on the multi-level garage, which will have parking for at least 325 vehicles. The garage, which will be run and maintained by the Merrimack Valley Regional Transportation Authority, is still being designed.
During the cleanup, more than 3,300 tons of contaminated soil and more than 100,000 gallons of contaminated groundwater were removed and trucked to hazardous waste processing facilities, city officials said.
"I'm thrilled that our downtown merchants, the restaurant district and the Wingate Street arts district in particular, will be able to have these parking spaces available for their customers again during the busy holiday season," Mayor James Fiorentini said in a press release. "This was a complicated but necessary environmental cleanup that will not only improve the health and safety of the Railroad Square area after a long history of industrial contamination, but it paves the way for construction of the parking garage next year."
The property's soil and groundwater were polluted with petroleum products from automobile shops and gas stations that were on the site dating back to 1940. Over the last decade, seven underground petroleum storage tanks and a hydraulic lift were removed from the site.
The property was excavated to a depth of 14 feet at the deepest point, the mayor said. Three excavation pits were refilled with clean fill and compacted to support the construction of the new parking garage, he said.
The cleanup was conducted by Cyn Environmental of Stoughton and overseen by environmental consultant TRC of Lowell, as well as city officials and Haverhill's Brownfields Steering Committee, Fiorentini said.
The city received a $200,000 federal grant and a $500,000 state grant to pay for the cleanup. The mayor said city resources were used during the cleanup, but no money was used from the city's operating budget.
Fiorentini had promised to return the lot to public parking by Thanksgiving. The lot provides parking for several businesses and stores in the area as well as Olivia's and Krueger Flatbread restaurants.
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