The project site included the historic district and local collector streets as well as the 4.9 acres of the original Sacramento Valley Railroad Depot grounds.  Historic Folsom was the site of the first passenger rail service west of the Mississippi linking Sacramento with the town of Folsom in 1856.  It also became the terminus point for the Pony Express.  The Historic Folsom redevelopment followed the completion of a new Sacramento Regional Transit Light Rail station at the west end of the site in October of 2005.

The redevelopment portion of the project included replacing the District utilities, roadways, sidewalks and front facades of the some of the buildings along Sutter Street. The development of the Railroad Block site included a previously completed parking garage, three mixed use 3-story structures, a restaurant building, plaza development including an amphitheater, engine pavilion, and incorporation of the existing engine roundtable.

The redevelopment of historic Sutter Street included the challenge of ensuring the stability of many structures and foundations that dated back to the late 1800’s.  Vibration from modern compaction and construction techniques was a concern with the presence of these fragile foundations.  Additional challenges to the Railroad Block development included the presence of a historic drift mine that was closed near the turn of the 19th century which underlies a large portion of the site. 

Our scope of work consisted of the oversight and management of Geotechnical Design Studies, Geophysical Studies, and Quality Assurance and Quality Control testing of materials, aggregates, and concrete for compliance with the City of Folsom Quality Assurance Program.  Youngdahl worked as part of a design team that allowed for successful completion of the project.  This very complicated and broad scoped project required Youngdahl staff interaction with multiple contractors to accomplish the day to day tasks.  Youngdahl’s approach to the geotechnical issues on the Railroad Block development made the project economically feasible by avoiding the use of deep foundation on a majority of the proposed structures.