Manhattan’s Hudson River Park, spanning 550 acres along the waterfront, is the second largest park in the city and is managed by the Hudson River Park Trust. A prominent feature within the park is Pier 40. Originally constructed in 1962 for the Holland America Cruise Line, the Pier is the largest and most bustling pier along the Hudson River.

Covering more than 15 acres, Pier 40 boasts diverse commercial spaces, contributing essential revenue for the park’s ongoing maintenance and operations. One of the main amenities is the largest public parking garage in the city.

For over 5 years the South section of the Pier had to be closed due to deterioration. This comprised of approximately 180,000 square feet which included the parking structure. This shut down, implemented to ensure visitor safety, resulted in significant loss of revenue for the park. To restore its full revenue-generating capacity, repairs were imperative to resume regular operations. A comprehensive Investigate-Design-Build approach was implemented to formulate a solution that would enable the safe reopening of the parking garage.

STRUCTURAL was contracted to perform the parking garage repairs. The scope included demolition, structural plank replacement and repairs, waterproofing of over 90,000 square feet, and installation of a new turf on the top level. During repairs the team took extra precautions to eliminate potential disturbances. Office space was located below the work area and necessary steps were taken to ensure the second level slab was watertight before performing work. There was also a limited load capacity, and a shoring plan was implemented with over 4,000 post shores to support the structure.

A total of 75,000 man-hours were completed and the project was on schedule, within budget, and with zero safety incidents. In recognition of the success of the project, it was awarded the ICRI Award of Excellence.