The Blue Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) was a planned 13.3-mile extension of the existing Blue Line LRT route to connect downtown Minneapolis and the northeast suburbs. In 2015, Braun Intertec was selected by the Metropolitan Council to complete a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) for the corridor. The Phase I ESA included a review of available regulatory agency files and historic information. All identified sites within the corridor were ranked as having high, medium, or low potential for contamination. Braun Intertec identified 271 parcels as having a low, medium, or high potential for contamination. During an advanced construction phase of the project, Braun Intertec was retained to document implementation of the response actions completed as part of the realignment of Bassett Creek Tunnel and realignment of two Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) sanitary sewer lines crossing beneath Trunk Highway (TH) 55. This advanced work was required in anticipation of future construction of a light rail platform. Over 12,000 tons of soil and sediment containing diesel range organics (DRO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were found to have concentrations above regulatory levels. Debris including brick, bituminous, coal slag, and wood at concentrations up to 75% by volume was excavated and disposed at an industrial landfill. In addition, Braun Intertec collected monthly discharge samples of construction dewatering, as groundwater entering the excavations was contaminated.  

A change to the preferred BLRT alignment in 2021 re-routed from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) owned TH 55 right-of-way. As such, MnDOT was tasked with completing the Response Action Plan (RAP) implementation for the early construction completed to date, as well as completing the removal of the abandoned section of the Bassett Creek Tunnel still present beneath TH 55. For this additional work, MnDOT contracted Braun Intertec to complete the reporting for the tunnel realignment and complete a Phase II ESA along the abandoned tunnel segment to evaluate the soil and groundwater conditions that would be encountered during the planned removal.