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BackHAKS JV Wins Platinum ACEC NY Award for Drury Lane Access to Stewart International Airport
Access to Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, NY, in the past depended on existing local and state roads. This project was undertaken to lessen traffic volumes on these roads, by reconstructing and realigning Drury Lane, an existing two-lane county road; constructing a new direct access road, International Boulevard (State Route 747), to the airport from Drury Lane; and constructing a new diamond interchange between I-84 and Drury Lane.
The $60 Million New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) project encompassed 415,500 square meters (103 acres), all within an area of significant environmental sensitivity. Reconstruction of Drury Lane and construction of the Route 747 access to the airport required almost 1,000,000 cubic meters of excavation and embankment. Four new bridges were constructed, three of them directly over the New York City Catskill Aqueduct and one carrying Drury Lane over I-84. Key project issues included bridge construction, erosion and sediment control, mechanically stabilized earth systems (MSES) walls, utilities coordination, and adherence to environmental permits. Project completion by the specified contract date was critical.
The HAKS-DMJM Harris Joint Venture, with subconsultant Haider Engineering, provided Resident Engineering Inspection. Berger Lehman Associates provided design and construction support. Lancaster Development, Inc. was general contractor.
A number of innovative techniques were employed. For bridge construction over the shallow Catskill Aqueduct, the contractor devised a "slider beam" to redistribute lifting loads for placing the 100-foot-long, 60-ton concrete box beams. MSES walls supported the roadway through the wetlands impact area to comply with environmental permits. Environmentally friendly features built into the project included newly created wetlands, wetland mitigation and animal protection measures such as vernal pools for endangered species. A roadway crossing for native wildlife--amphibian barriers and concrete underpasses--was incorporated into the roadway drainage system.
Field work employed a "stakeless" survey system, an automated stakeout system referenced to Global Position Satellites (GPS) that enabled data sharing between the contractor and NYSDOT for measurements and payment quantities calculations, and Automated Machine Guidance/control of earthmoving equipment for accurate efficient earthwork operations.
A 3-month delay to the start of construction was overcome by accelerting the project with longer shifts and weekend work, enabling opening of the Drury Lane/Airport Access Road/I-84 connection earlier than originally scheduled.
The access improvements promoted economic growth, virtually eliminated airport traffic on local roads and reduced vehical emissions, thus enhancing public health and safety.
Project complexities evident in both design and construction were interrelated so that delays in addressing any problems could affect completion. Environmental issues at the start of construction were satisfied through design applications not usual in NYSDOT procedures, such as amphibian barriers and vernal pools. The massive earthwork quantities required extensive soil erosion and water pollution controls to avoid wetland-forest area contamination. Utilities coordination presented a major challenge in placing overhead utilities underground while maintaining service.
The success of this project was due in large part to partnering among all parties involved, which was the key to resolving issues and finding options that saved time and/or money with no adverse effect on quality.
