ABOVE: Barbara Doll points out one of the engineering challenges along the restored leg of 

 Rocky Branch — redesigned road crossings to accommodate the raised stream bed and to 

 drain floodwaters through floodplain pipes. RIGHT: In spite of drought-driven low water 

 levels, the restored stream provides educational opportunities, as indicated by these water 

 monitoring devices. 



streambank stabilization rather than riprap or 

 other man-made materials. 



To get the job done, Doll is collaborat- 

 ing with dozens of people from the 

 university's Facilities Planning and Design 

 Division, Office of the University Architect, 

 College of Design and N.C. Stream Restora- 

 tion Institute 



No one is ready to rest on the laurels of 

 a well-done Phase I. Phase II, set to begin 

 next spring, will improve an additional 1,500 

 feet of the stream and environs. Phase III will 

 restore another 1,600-foot stretch in 2004. 



With each leg of restored stream goes a 

 new leg of greenway to provide alternative 

 transportation, recreational opportunities and 

 greater access to the stream itself. At certain 

 sites, the paths and stream will duck under 

 busy street intersections for safer walking, 

 biking or jogging within the campus. 

 Ultimately, the Rocky Branch Greenway will 

 join Raleigh's greenway system, which 

 connects streams and parks throughout the 

 city. 



Later, interpretive signs will be installed 

 to explain concepts of natural channel design 

 and identify flora and fauna along the stream 

 and greenway. College of Design students 

 developed the Rocky Branch logo for the 

 signs. 



NC State design students have been part 

 of the process from early on. In 1999, 

 students in a landscape architecture design 

 studio built a 30-foot model to illustrate the 

 Rocky Branch stream/greenway design vision 

 to prospective funding agencies. It also 

 served as a conceptual model for the project. 



Challenging hurdles 



Doll, along with facilities project 

 manager Jill Coleman, university landscape 

 architect Sallie Ricks and construction 

 manager Ted Devens seemed undaunted by 

 the tremendous hurdles the project often 

 presented. 



It was important to minimize campus 

 disruption and to maximize the funding 

 resources. Once, Doll and Coleman spotted a 

 rock spoil pile left over from a major 



construction project. It was exactly the kind 

 of material needed for Rocky Branch. They 

 struck a deal with the developer — and tons 

 of rocks were theirs for the hauling. 



The rocks would be used for a complex 

 piece of engineering in the first phase — 

 reworking the 16 culverts responsible for 

 dumping storm water into Rocky Branch 

 from a nearby urban thoroughfare and 

 impervious surfaces throughout the water- 

 shed. 



In any storm event, the force of the 

 water would scour the streambed, destabilize 

 the banks, and push huge amounts of 

 sediment downstream. Over time, the eroded 

 stream banks could not provide support for 

 concrete culverts, which collapsed and fell 

 into the stream bed. Hurricane Fran, in 1996, 

 further eroded Rocky Branch, leaving behind 

 more collapsed stormwater pipes, felled trees 

 and exposed tree roots. 



In spite of the cumulative harsh blows, 

 there were signs that Rocky Branch was 

 trying to repair itself. "It was fighting back, 

 trying to meander; trying to re-establish its 



floodplain with vegetation, riffles and pools. 

 Without help, it might have taken 20 to 25 

 years to heal itself. But in the meantime, 

 huge volumes of sediment would have been 

 dumped downstream," Doll says. 



Phase I included replacing the storm 

 water pipes. Also, new rock vanes would 

 take the pressure off stream banks during 

 storm events and reduce stream bank 

 erosion. 



Other engineering hurdles included 

 relocating a 1,100-foot sewer line, and 

 redesigning road crossings while maintain- 

 ing steam, utilities and telecommunication 

 services for university buildings. 



Stormwater controls — such as 

 bioretention areas and a constructed wetland 

 — were constructed to filter and detain 

 stormwater runoff from campus roads and 

 parking lots. In addition, two rain gardens 

 along a 2,800-foot segment of greenway 

 divert stormwater runoff from the adjacent 

 busy road — removing nutrients, sediment, 

 bacteria and oil before draining into Rocky 

 Branch. 



14 AUTUMN 2002 



