Hillis-Carnes is providing Geotechnical Engineering and Special Inspections at the Bellwether District, specifically for the Industrial Campus. The initial phase of construction involves ground improvement, extensive earthwork, and site regrading. The Bellwether District received permits from the City of Philadelphia for nearly 450 acres of earthwork—totaling over two million cubic yards of soil—to be redistributed across the site. This program represents the largest permitted earthwork effort in Philadelphia’s history. Once completed, the work will support approximately 6.5 million SF of building space and enable key infrastructure improvements, including 1.5 miles of new roads and significant off-site upgrades along 26th Street.

Hillis-Carnes’ scope of work includes subsurface investigation, geophysics, observing, documenting, and reporting quantities of demolished materials and soil movement; verifying that fill placement remains structurally stable. The scope also includes special inspections of shallow and deep foundations, reinforced concrete, structural steel, and welding.

*Photo courtesy of hrp Group