WORKING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE

There’s a difference between making an effort and making a commitment. Long before industry regulations were established, RSA Construction Group used the tagline “working in harmony with nature” to reflect the company’s determination to maintain the integrity of the environment. Our commitment to safeguarding our natural resources is also a commitment to protecting the communities we serve, and that’s been our thinking since the 1960s. 

At the start of each project, key staff members review environmental conditions in the project area and develop a construction plan that will protect vulnerable ecosystems. From reducing the burden on air, water and land resources, to protecting wildlife and plant life, we invest in preserving the integrity of the environment on our projects, and we hold subcontractors and consultants performing work on our projects to the same high standards.

• On the Loop 202 project in Phoenix, the 26-mile design-build had a significant environmental component to construct a direct link between the East Valley and West Valley along the South Mountain Freeway and over the Salt River. Environmental mitigation included tracking, trapping and relocating approximately 160 chuckwallas—rock-dwelling lizards unique to South Mountain Park—away from the construction site.
• While widening the I-15 corridor in Utah over the Mojave River, temporary trestles were built and used for constructing cofferdams and piers to avoid disturbing the unique and one-of-a-kind riparian habitat, which included endangered or critically threatened wildlife species. Among the many mitigation efforts, more than 25,000 fish and 1,500 bats were relocated from the project limits to other approved locations.
• The SR 260 Doubtful Canyon project in Arizona was located completely within the pristine Tonto National Forest. To protect local wildlife while widening the highway, the team installed 16 bat boxes under six newly-constructed bridges and built seven miles of elk fence and 12 elk jumps. To build with as little impact as possible on the surrounding forest, crews installed and constantly adjusted rip rap to protect the soil from erosion in areas of concentrated runoff, implemented a storm water pollution prevention plan and preserved the water table during wildlife migratory season.
• The St. Croix Crossing replaced an aging lift bridge spanning the St. Croix River between Minnesota and Wisconsin. Located in a national scenic riverway and next to historic and natural resources, the area is inhabited by various threatened and endangered species. The extensive mitigation package included a drainage system to carry rainwater and snowmelt directly to the ponds to be filtered before being released back into the river, designing the Highway 36 interchange to avoid impact to a bald eagle nesting tree, relocating the Higgins eye pearly mussels living in the bridge construction area, and harvesting seeds of endangered Dotted Blazing Star flowers to store for future planting.
• The project scope for reconstruction of the I-15/U.S. 93 Garnet Interchange in Nevada included landscaping and aesthetics to commemorate the historic Old Spanish Trail. As part of the environmental mitigation plan, RSA salved 2,646 cactus and yucca plants that were stored in an onsite makeshift nursery and planted as part of the landscaping efforts at project end.
• We continually upgrade our equipment fleet and have a proactive equipment maintenance program that ensures that these critical construction tools have up-to-date air pollution controls and noise reduction technology.

The types of projects that RSA Construction Group chooses to work on further demonstrates our commitment to environmental stewardship. Our extensive project portfolio includes congestion-reducing highways, transit, and freight railroad projects; water and wastewater treatment plants; and hydroelectric, natural gas, and clean coal power plants. We also construct or improve dams that provide a reliable supply of clean water to the country.

Simply put, our longstanding commitment to the sustainability of our natural resources provides project owners with confidence that RSA performs work that protects both its people and the environment.