From the latest Construction Alert: Barclays sign being erected; work on perimeter of arena progresses; more noise in neighborhood

Beyond the quiet announcement that pile/foundation work would start on the first tower, there are a couple of other notable mentions in the latest two-week Atlantic Yards Construction Alert, dated 7/2/12 (and embedded below) and released today by Empire State Development after preparation by Forest City Ratner.

Among them:

• the Flatbush Avenue Barclays sign is being erected (it may not be the best time for a Barclays sign)
• significant sidewalk and plaza work is being done around the arena (and blocking the sidewalk) 
• potentially noisy demolition will continue intermittently on Block 1129, site of the surface parking lot 
• nighttime work on the Atlantic Avenue medians would require jack hammers 

Below, I've bolded changes from the previous alert.

Construction at the Arena Site/Deliveries & Site Access

• Hunt has demobilized the access ramp at Dean Street and Flatbush Avenue. The ramp into the arena bowl has been demobilized and the 6th Avenue gate is now being used as a drop location for deliveries and as primary worker access point. The access route to the Pacific gate remains posted at the site and is the same as it has been throughout the project. Access is also available via the Atlantic Avenue gates at the Fort Greene intersection, midway between the Ft. Greene and 6th Avenue intersection and at the southwest corner of 6th Avenue, off of Dean Street, at 6th Avenue and limited access for concrete trucks on Flatbush Avenue across from 5th Avenue, at the Dean Street intersection and at the intersection of Pacific Street and 6th Avenue. Hunt has added an asphalt entry and laydown area at the Dean Street and Flatbush Avenue gate and will be doing the same at the Pacific Street and 6th Avenue gate following the last slab on grade placement at the Haier Store area.

Façade Installation

• The façade contractor will continue the installation of the main entry, high halo steel lattice work in this reporting period. This installation will take place during a third shift while the canopy supplemental steel is being erected and while the façade is erected over an area where other trades work, due to the fact there are not two levels of deck between the façade pieces and the worker below, as required by OSHA Sub-Part R steel erection requirements. The permit for this third shift has been granted by NYC DOB.
• The signage contractor will erect the Flatbush Avenue Barclays sign on the third shift from a closed lane in Flatbush Avenue. The DOT permit has been granted for this work.

Waterproofing & Fireproofing

• Phase 1 of the permanent roofing is complete. The phase 2 permanent roofing is expected to be completed during this reporting period.

Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing

• Temporary electric power will remain in place to supplement finish trades power needs until July 13, 2012, per current projections.

This was previously for a "projected two more weeks."
Interior Build-out

• Carpet installation will continue this reporting period.

Rail yard/Rodent Control Measures Taken

• McKissack has implemented an ongoing rodent control plan which is being monitored weekly. There are over 166 bait stations laid in this area .Across the site, additional measures are being instituted to redouble efforts related to food garbage control, including the provision of additional garbage containers. In addition, baiting stations have been or will be inspected to confirm operation and repaired or relocated as needed.
Rodent control plan is currently being transitioned since the northern portion of the Rail yard is now controlled by the LIRR and the southern portion is the construction area. McKissack/Posillico are working with Colony Pest Management to re-implement this program in the southern yard.

Carlton Ave. Bridge

• MPT continues to be in place at Carlton Ave. and Pacific Street during this reporting period. The contractor has begun to form and install rebar for the footing and stem wall of the final pier, Pier 3 and will place concrete during this reporting period. Noise attenuation blanketing will be utilized to cover a generator when used to cool the concrete during curing at Pier 3, as necessary.
• Work on Pier 1 has been substantially completed.
• Work on the South Abutment is substantially completed. The MPT will remain in place until after final asphalt approach work is completed.
• Soil excavated as part of the CAB installation has been tested for characterization and removed from the site.• Work on the Carlton Avenue Bridge components that are located in the “old” south yard (e.g.: Pier 3 and the bridge superstructure and deck) will become the main focus of attention in order to achieve the required Carlton Avenue Bridge completion and opening dates.

Replacement of Adjacent Water Mains and other Utility Work

Catch basins at the corner of Pacific and 6th Avenue were modified. Roadway restoration will be scheduled and coordinated with LIRR drainage work and traffic mitigation roadway work in the area. The asphalt is temporary and the final paving will be included in the Traffic Mitigation work that is to be completed later this summer.

Block 1129

FCRC and Hunt have activated a delivery dispatch center here to dispatch all delivery trailers and trucks to the arena site in order to further minimize impacts to the local traffic and pedestrian patterns. This dispatch center will remain in operation during this reporting period. The utility contractor has moved its operations from Block 1129 to the north side of Pacific Street between Carlton and Vanderbilt. This move was required due to the commencement of construction of the parking lot that will be on B1129. Underground concrete structures have been encountered, some of which must be demolished by hoe ram for the work to continue. Demolition will continue intermittently during the next reporting period.

Previously it stated "will continue intermittently over the next work or so."

• A Ruttura [apparently this contractor] laborer has been assigned solely to dust control and has been managing dust suppression in Block 1129.

• A construction fence has been installed around the Dean Street and Carlton Avenue sides of the site. The existing block wall at the corner of Dean Street and Carlton Avenue has been demolished and removed.

• Interior curb work will begin during this reporting period, as will the installation of a mock up of the permanent fence

Traffic Mitigation Site Work/Atlantic Avenue Medians

Work was expected to begin in late April 2012 on the remaining traffic mitigation work but was postponed due to delays in the City water main work east of Carlton Avenue. The city’s work was expected to be complete by early June but is now expected to be completed in late June/early July. Most of the traffic mitigation site work is made up of raised medians along Atlantic Avenue from Flatbush Avenue to Vanderbilt Avenue. OCMC reviewed the scope and location of the medians and determined the work shall be performed during daytime hours but that certain traffic signal and street light conduit work may occur during the nighttime hours. If nighttime work is required for cross-street conduit trenching, the specified jack hammers will be used. We do not anticipate the use of hoe rams, especially near the LIRR tunnel.

OCMC approved an MPT plan which takes lanes out of service during the work period. The arena block, Carlton Avenue Bridge reconstruction and DDC utility work between Carlton and Vanderbilt Avenues will also take lanes out of service. Therefore, the median work must be scheduled block by block to coordinate with the other work schedules and MPT configurations. Work on the medians began in the [sic] on the block between 6th Avenue and Cumberland Avenue on June 18th and is expected to take a total of one month. The remaining blocks up to Vanderbilt will continue to take two to four weeks each. Work on the median between 6th Avenue and Flatbush will be done late July/early August.

Arena Site Work

• The revised Flatbush Avenue MPT is allowing work to continue on the installation of the Flatbush Avenue façade and the installation of curbs and sidewalks along this same stretch. Part of the overall site work for the arena block, bollard installation, commenced at the intersection of Dean and Flatbush in the area of the southern subway vents and is continuing north along Flatbush, eventually continuing around the entire block. The bollard work is now complete along Flatbush Avenue and much of the Dean Street and 6th Avenue frontage. Other work that will be done as part of the site work includes sidewalks, installation of pavers, street furniture, street trees, light and signal poles, way finding signage, hydrants and the canopy to the new subway entrance. Construction of the plaza seating area at the tip of the site is now underway.
• The curb installation work, sidewalk and street light installation work is now substantially complete on Flatbush Avenue from Dean Street up to approximately across from Pacific Street.. Sidewalk along Flatbush is now progressing north up Flatbush Avenue towards the tip of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues. The contractor has installed barrels and fencing to screen work area from traffic and pedestrians.

• Installation of the underground drainage within the plaza area located at the tip of the site and beneath the future plaza area located at the corner of Dean Street and 6th Avenue is substantially complete. A temporary asphalt working surface has been placed throughout the plaza as well as in pedestrian areas. MPT along Dean Street and 6th Avenue has been repositioned in accordance with the approved DOT MPT Plan.
• Bollard and curb installation work along 6th Avenue and Dean Street has commenced and is substantially completed. Excavation and grading of the B3 plaza is in progress. Footings for the light pole bases are also now underway.

• The construction of the site benches at the tip of the site is substantially complete. Electrical distribution work for the benches is also substantially complete. Planting mix has now been placed in the planters. Temporary asphalt restoration will be placed once the curb and electrical conduit for street lighting and FDNY communications are installed. Permanent pavement restoration will be performed as part of the Off Site Mitigation site work which will be done later in the summer.

• The permanent paving around the Arena Block will be completed as part of the Off-site mitigation work later during the summer. At the tip of the site The current temporary asphalt restoration will be placed once the [sic]

• Bollard installation work, tree pit sheeting installation and sidewalk roadway removals along Atlantic Avenue have now commenced from 6th Avenue towards Flatbush Avenue and will continue.
• Trenching for street lights, traffic lights, FDNY alarm cabling to serve the poles on the arena block will continue during this two week period.

• Trenching for street lights, traffic lights, FDNY alarm cabling to serve the poles on the arena block will continue during this two week period.

Broadcast Lot – Block 1128

• The DOB issued a permit for the Type 2 application. The general contractor began work on June 25th. The work is scheduled to be complete this fall.

Dean Street Playground Comfort Station

• The contractor mobilized on June 11th. The construction fence has been erected the site has been cleared and excavation has begun. During this reporting period, the contractor will begin foundations and underground conduit and piping. The work is scheduled to be complete this fall.

Maintenance & Protection of Traffic

• MPT remains in place on the southern side of Atlantic between Carlton & Vanderbilt Avenues. Posillico/Tully previously installed car shop roof support columns through openings that were core-drilled in the sidewalk and work continues underneath in the car shop. A new sidewalk has been poured and grading work is taking place between the sidewalk and yard fence above the car shop. The MPT will be removed during the next reporting period. All DOT permits remain in place.
• The MPT on 6th Avenue, from Pacific Street to Dean Street and on Dean Street from 6th Avenue to Flatbush Avenue, has been relocated from the property line to the curb line and will continue to facilitate the installation of bollards, curbs and sidewalk work during this reporting period.

Repeated sections

Three sections were simply repeated from the last alert:

Waterproofing and Fireproofing
• The waterproofing of the interior walls of the east and west stormwater retention tanks has been completed. The preparation for the testing of the tanks has begun. The testing is projected to start with the equalizer line this reporting period. The testing was delayed from the last period due to damage to the equalizer line. The damage has been repaired at the pipe and the tank entry and the testing program will continue in the field this reporting period. The reporting and documentation for the testing is under A/E and consultant review.
Interior Build-out
• The placement of slab on grade (SOG) concrete will be completed within the arena site at the event level, Area “C” (southeast quadrant) during this reporting period. This work was not completed during this last reporting period due to the repair to the equalizer line and to prevent covering the line should testing reveal a deficiency that would require repair in an area covered by concrete. There is one projected SOG placement that remains.
Transit Elevator/Escalator
• Work activities have been resequenced to accommodate canopy work items. The elevator and escalator installations are nearing completion and are anticipated to be complete in June. Stainless steel work for the escalator is in progress.

AY Construction Alert 7-2-2012