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Five University of New Brunswick engineering students are working with Parks Canada to improve a parking facility in Fundy National Park. The project is located on the Point Wolfe road, at a summer destination spot popular for its beach, saltwater pool and hiking trails.

Civil engineering students Alyssa Bernier, Kristen Burns, Kate deWinter, Megan Stone and Alyssa van de Riet are creating a design that will update the parking lot by installing a new drainage and water treatment system, permeable pavement and marine piles.

“The current lot has no parking lines and experiences a large amount of pooling due to a lack of stormwater management system,” says van de Riet. “Our design will make this parking lot safer and a more accessible space for visitors by incorporating techniques we have learned in our courses.”

The students are integrating environmentally innovative solutions to the upper and lower levels of the lot. The upper lot will have permeable pavement, which has the ability to filter water through its surface to remove pollutants. The lower lot will use regular pavement and will treat water using an underground oil/grit separator.

Team member Kristen Burns incorporated the use of marine piles as a wave-breaking system, which will be used to minimize the impact of the waves hitting the rock embankment, stopping rocks from reaching the parking lot.

“Kristen suggested the really cool idea to put marine piles in the ocean bed,” says van de Riet. “These piles will absorb some of the energy of the waves, reducing the force as they hit the embankment, and stopping rocks from being thrown onto the lot.”

In addition to the wave-breaking system, the students will also be incorporating netting around the embankment to reduce rock and debris from reaching the parking lot.

“We were all very drawn to this project,” says Burns. “We hope that if our design is implemented, it will have a positive impact on visitor experience at Point Wolfe Pool and encourage people to visit this destination spot.”

The students will be presenting their design at UNB’s annual Engineering Design Symposium on April 8, 2021, which will be held virtually through ePly.

Anyone who would like to attend must register to secure a spot. The event is free of charge and is open to the public.

Media contact: Kathleen McLaughlin