Dive brief:
- a new one construction support facility in the $19 billion redevelopment of John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, aims to reduce truck traffic and environmental impact, according to a statement from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
- The construction support facility will use barges to transport materials to and from the airport, eliminating more than 300,000 truck trips on local streets. In addition, a batch plant will produce concrete on site, while a crushing facility will recycle old material.
- The facility will reduce emissions and disbursement of dust and other particulates associated with the transportation of construction materials and construction debris, while making efficient use of the airport’s water access for the transfer of bulk materials, according to the release.
Diving knowledge:
The Port Authority granted at the beginning of the year the construction and operation contract the airport construction support facility in Melville, New York, Modern Efficient Transport. Under that contract, Modern Efficient Transport already built the shipping facility that uses the water access at JFK on the western end of the airport property.
The first barge was unloaded at this dock at the west end of the airport on 27 September. This single barge eliminated the need for nearly 200 trucks to transport the equivalent cargo, according to the release.
According to the Port Authority, the barges will transport bulk materials such as sand, aggregate, steel and other construction materials to the airport and remove non-hazardous waste and soil from airport construction sites. These barges have the capacity to responsibly recycle up to 75% of certain categories of construction debris, according to the release.
Meanwhile, the concrete batch plant will use local suppliers from communities near JFK, according to the release. The plant will provide all the concrete to support construction, including the two largest terminals and all roadways, parking lots and other infrastructure at JFK, according to the Port Authority.
“Creating a construction support facility that will allow us to remove hundreds of thousands of diesel trucks from local streets is proof of the Port Authority’s commitment to our goal of achieving emissions net zero greenhouse gases across the agency by 2050,” he said. Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority.
