Building new urban parks is challenging for large cities. Philadelphia is one city that has doggedly pursued this vision for greenspace and come up with intriguing solutions. One of its most innovative jobs is Penn's Landing Park, scheduled for a 2029 opening.
In most cities, new urban parks are created as one or two-acre "pocket" parks, shoehorned into the existing built environment. Philadelphia's newest park will be 11.5 acres and include an amphitheater, 100 trees, a skating rink and room for relaxing and playing.
What makes the new park so innovative is that it will be built as the CAP (Central Access Philadelphia) over the bustling I-95 freeway that carries thousands of motorists each day to their destinations in the city and to other parts of the state.
The park will connect people to the Delaware River Waterfront in the east and offer easy access to the city's historical sites to the west. As one of Philadelphia's 100 urban parks, this one is unique.
Buckley Construction is the lead contractor coordinating the efforts of subcontractors and equipment operators to create this mid-air park. Dave Warner is project manager and Chad Lavallee is the project engineer for the job. Marlee Buckley, project superintendent, is overseeing the construction and placement of a unique bridge to the park.
"The trickiest part of the project so far has been setting the steel girders that we will build the concrete platform on top of," Lavallee told Construction Equipment Guide.
Buckley Construction photo
Workers have used a variety of heavy equipment to place the steel girders: 80 over southbound I-95, 18 over northbound I-95 and 18 over Christopher Columbus Blvd.
"The project will require 240 girders in all," he said. "Our workers are drilling the caissons, which are 6 feet in diameter, 30 feet deep into the rock so the cap for the park can be strongly supported. Once the steel is drilled into place, we fill up the ‘rock socket' with concrete. We don't want any settlement to disturb the cap we will be putting on top."
Buckley is working closely with other entities to create the park, including PennDOT and the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC). The latter oversees Penn's Landing on the water. The new park will be joined to the existing structure, creating a dynamic waterfront and park for entertainment, dining and recreation. Construction giant Daniel J. Keating already is working on the section that will link the CAP to the waterfront. Keating will build a café for the park plus additional work that will enhance the park infrastructure.
Buckley's part of the project is expected to cost approximately $350 million.
"We will be using about 80,000 cubic yards of ultra-light weight foamed glass aggregate (UL-FGA) for the construction," said Lavallee. "It is 85 percent lighter than traditional aggregates and will reduce the weight and stress on the caissons supporting the lid."
Pile Driving
Buckley Construction photo
The massive work of handling caissons, steel, concrete and drilling has required some massive machinery. Subcontractor American Pile has been doing the pile driving to install the caissons and steel that will support the 8-in. thick concrete slab that will be the base for the park.
A Junttan hydraulic drilling rig will be one of the workhorses for the project, boring shafts into the ground until each of the 25 caissons reaches bedrock. The construction team also will be using KOBELCO 2000 and KOBELCO 2500 cranes as well as additional hydraulic hammers.
The construction team is keeping motorists safe through the work by using message boards to alert people ahead of time about changing traffic patterns.
"We also are using lagging boards, jersey barriers and screens to keep our workers and the public safe," said Lavallee.
Perhaps the biggest safety step is an enormous pedestrian bridge, weighing approximately 1,000 tons. The bridge is being constructed in a nearby parking lot.
When completed, it will be moved into place with cranes, enabling people to safely enter the park from the south side.
"This pedestrian bridge will be an arch 258 feet over Christopher Columbus Blvd and will enable visitors to safely access the park without having to cross the busy streets," said Marlee Buckley, "We are working closely with Cornell Crane & Steel to build the bridge and, once completed, move it into position. The entire project will enhance the area, hotels and restaurants as well as the riverfront. I feel that it will have a long-term impact on the city."
