Skip to main content

Featured Post

Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park infographics: what's built/what's coming/what's missing, who's responsible, + project FAQ/timeline (pinned post)

From the latest Construction Alert: Forest City now starting work on B2 tower at 5:30 am, rather than 7 am (timetable pressure?)

Forest City Ratner may be feeling pressure to get the first Atlantic Yards tower done on schedule, given that the developer is starting work on the B2 tower this week on some days at 5:30 am rather than the official city start time of 7 am. (Normal construction hours are 7 am to 6 pm weekdays.)

The new timetable was revealed quietly in the bi-weekly Construction Alert (bottom) issued yesterday by Empire State Development, the state agency overseeing/enabling Atlantic Yards, after preparation by Forest City:
• Construction Activities are scheduled to start as early 5:30 am Monday through Friday. Work will include, first concrete pump set up, a quiet activity, followed later by pouring of concrete, while the installation of reinforcement steel for walls and associated formwork takes place, along with, general clean up. This earlier work day schedule would apply only on days that concrete pours are to occur.
If this occurs only on days of concrete pours, this should be every two to three days, as noted below.

Trying to follow up

Though the alert states, "If you have any questions please feel free to contact ESD’s Manager, Atlantic Yards Project Community/Government Relations," that seems like a rather empty assurance. I sent a few questions to Derek Lynch:
The paragraph suggests the concrete pump sets up at 5:30 and is a quiet activity.

It implies that pouring of concrete and installation of reinforcement steel, etc. happens later and is less quiet. Approximately when? And how should it be characterized: "less quiet," non-quiet, etc?
I was trying to figure out whether the activities not characterized as "quiet" would begin before 7 am. My query went unanswered.

25 trucks two or three times a week

The document explains that concrete pours will occur every two or three days:
• Begin pouring concrete foundation walls. This activity will be take place approximately every 2-3 days during the reporting period. The day of the pour there will be 25 concrete trucks delivery to the site during the course of the day. A separate logistics plan has been submitted and approved by the OEM for this work.
In other words, there will be 25 trucks two or three times a week. The last alert did not specify a frequency, leaving the impression that the "day of the pour" referred to a single pour.

Saturday and late night hours
• Construction Activities are scheduled for upcoming Saturdays. Work hours will be 7am till 6pm and work will include, installing reinforcement steel for foundation walls, formwork and general clean up. Work hours may be extended up to as late as 11 pm Monday through Friday. Construction activities will be limited to installing rebar in the foundation walls.
The previous construction alert also said that work hours "may be extended" until 11 pm, but neither state whether permission has been granted.

Update: the photo at right shows the work permit for Saturday, at least.

Dean Street Playground Comfort Station

The new comfort station--constructed by Forest City as partial mitigation for increased neighborhood noise--near the eastern entrance to the park at Bergen Street between 6th and Carlton Avenues has been inspected, and a temporary certificate of occupancy is expected to be issued "as soon as paperwork is processed by the DOB."

FCRC has transitioned the property to the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation.

LIRR Yard Activities and continued vibrations

The document states:
• Excavation/hauling of soil, installation of lagging and retaining wall removal have begun. Contractor is using a hoe ram with sound deadening wrapped around it to conduct this work. This work will continue for the next several months.
In the last alert, the "sound deadening" aspect of the hoe ram was not mentioned.

Note that complaints continue regarding the impact of railyard construction on residences across the street. Yesterday, a Newswalk resident reported, "Vibrations are shaking apartment walls."

Comments