Brookfield Financial Properties, Manhattan West Platform

Turner provided Brookfield Partners with construction management services for the development of a 2.6-acre superblock platform deck over 17 active Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road rail tracks. The completion of the platform, which spans from Ninth Avenue to Dyer Avenue between 31st and 33rd Streets, set the stage for Brookfield’s Manhattan West commercial development project and serves as the foundation for a plaza and public space. 

The deck weighs 38,400 tons and is comprised of 16 bridge spans that consist of 39 precast concrete segments. Each 58-ton section, measuring 6 feet by 30 feet by 12 feet, was precast in Hamilton, New Jersey. Given their size and weight, they could only be delivered hours before they were to be installed. This "just in time” delivery strategy required a comprehensive study of the traffic patterns in the area and a transportation plan that would meet State and City agency standards. Ultimately, the segments were escorted over the George Washington Bridge in the middle of the night (closed to local traffic during the crossing), and transported to the job site. Once on site, the segments were positioned into a straight line and fused together to create a single span, using a series of post-tension cables and a specially formulated epoxy. The completed spans were lowered during a 40-minute window from 2:40 AM to 3:20 AM when the train electrical services were shut down, using a custom-made launching gantry. The 3,000-ton-capacity, 240-foot-wide gantry detects position, speed, torque, and pressure to ensure precise positioning of one-eighth of an inch.