The CQ039 Contract is part of the East Side Access (ESA) Project which is one of the most complex, ongoing transportation projects in the United States. The project will connect the Long Island Rail Road’s (LIRR) Main and Port Washington lines in Queens to a new LIRR terminal beneath Grand Central Terminal (GCT) in Manhattan. The new connection will increase the LIRR’s capacity into Manhattan and dramatically shorten travel time for Long Island and eastern Queens commuters traveling to the East Side of Manhattan.
Expert Consulting, SEM Design, and Construction Support Services:
Gall Zeidler Consultants provided design and design representation during construction for this tunneling under Northern Boulevard. Representation included quality assurance and quality control of Sequential Excavation Method (SEM) activities, the Independent Subway System (IND) underground subway and the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit (BMT) elevated subway. The work included: ground improvement / freezing for tunnel pre-support, underpinning of the BMT foundations, SEM and initial support installation, geotechnical instrumentation / monitoring, and final structural reinforced lining. Tunneling was through soft-ground consisting of sandy silts, silts, clays, and rock in the invert under a high ground water level.