STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A brigade of 420 trucks holding 4,000 cubic yards of concrete arrived in St. George on Saturday to begin the finishing touches of the foundation of the New York Wheel.
Calling the concrete pour, which began at 3 a.m. and is set to continue until 6 p.m., "a construction milestone," Rich Marin, NY Wheel CEO, donned a hard hat and construction vest, and led media on a tour of the site that will house the $580 million, 630-foot-tall tourist attraction by the end of 2017.
"The project has many, many milestones and this milestone is an important one because we are transitioning from creating the foundation to creating the base for the wheel," said Marin.
"What we are doing today is called the mass pour," he added.
CONCRETE POUR
The concrete pour signifies the beginning of the end of work -- started last year -- on the NY Wheel's foundation. A second pour will take place June 25 during a similar time frame.
Marin's tour led media through the five-acre construction site, into the parking garage, which is under construction, and onto the roof of the garage for an up- close view of the construction taking place and concrete being poured.
"The center point of the wheel will be 30-feet higher than the top of that building. (an apartment building directly across from the site). This gives you a point of reference of how big this is," said Marin.
The tour culminated at the top of the wheel's parking garage where Marin was again able to illustrate the magnitude of the wheel by explaining it will be five times the height of lighting structures surrounding the neighboring Richmond County Bank Ballpark.
He also showcased the top of the garage, which once complete will have a "green roof," with 268 trees, a great lawn, picnic area, and concert space. It will hold about 5,000 people, said Marin.
NEXT PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION
The next phase of work on the wheel will include building the wheel itself, from the bottom up.
"The next step is taking the wheel pad and having the pedestals that the legs stand on (erected). They each weight 110 tons. They are coming in from Montreal. They will basically form the foundation of the wheel," explained Marin.
"Then, in October the legs will be raised and the spindle will be put on. That's about a five month process to put the rim of the wheel on. It's a long process because they have to put it on with temporary spokes. They are big, red solid spokes," added Marin.
Other work, happening simultaneously, includes the second phase of construction for the garage. "This will take you from an 820 to 950 parking spot garage. We expect the garage to be complete by Dec. 1," he said.
In addition, the main terminal -- that will be the hub of wheel operations -- will be built between now and November, said Marin.
WHEEL PARTS
Marin said all the wheel's future parts are currently being fabricated in different areas of Europe, including the wheel's "legs," which are being made in Italy, said Marin.
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