When the town of Huntington on New York’s Long Island was founded in the 1600s, whaling and other marine related services formed a large part of its economy, although this declined after the railroad arrived in the 1860s. In common with many locations on Long Island, after World War II the population of the town increased at a tremendous pace, bringing with it urbanization and in particular increased traffic and extended commuting times.
In a year’s time, however, travelers through Huntington’s major business district will enjoy a faster and safer journey after the completion of a project to reconstruct two NY Route 110 bridges over the Long Island Expressway, thereby improving traffic flow along this vital stretch of the Route 110 corridor.
While many projects across New York State have been delayed due to the ongoing budget stalemate, this project has not been affected.
New York’s fiscal year began on April 1, but Gov. David A. Paterson and legislators have been unable to come to an agreement or compromise on the 2010 to 2011 spending plan.
According to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), this job is proceeding without interruption or decrease in work force.
Acting Commissioner Stan Gee of NYSDOT broke ground on June 30, 2009, for the $27.9 million project, which will be paid for by a combination of state and federal funds.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Marc Herbst, executive director of the Long Island Contractors Association (LICA), said that “Over seventy years ago it was demonstrated clearly and conclusively that spending public money on infrastructure projects would reinvigorate an economy, put people back to work and forge a strong and dynamic society. In the teeth of a grinding recession we are learning that lesson once more.”
Reconstruction of the bridges over the expressway will improve vertical clearance for higher profile vehicles. In addition, Huntington’s South Service Road will be widened to provide three travel lanes and shoulders for each direction, its intersections improved, expressway exit and entrance ramps reconfigured, new asphalt laid, drainage systems modified, signals updated, and new pavement markings and signage carried out. NYSDOT studies show the interchange at this point is used by approximately 88,000 motorists each day.
Prime contractor for the project is Posillico Civil Inc., of Farmingdale, N.Y. Incorporated in 1946 as a small trucking contractor under the presidency of Joseph D. Posillico Sr., it is now a third-generation business carrying out large and highly complex civil engineering and construction projects. The company employs approximately 400 people.
Posillico Civil Inc. began work on the Route 110 project on May 5, 2009, and is on schedule for its estimated time of completion of Nov. 29, 2011.
By early September 2009 the project was approximately 20 percent accomplished, with utility work completed and roadway and bridge work in their initial phase.
“We are currently driving permanent and temporary steel sheeting and installing new drainage structures and piping,” Posillico Area Manager Michael Perciballi said. “Roadway widening and forming and paving of new bridge footings, pedestals, and retaining walls are also under way.”
“No major problems have been experienced,” Perciballi said. “There were some minor conflicts with locations and elevations, but all were resolved through meetings.”
“We have performed other bridge jobs for NYSDOT, including the installation of a new Long Island Rail Road [LIRR] three-track bridge and rerouting a road under the bridge,” he added. “That contract included asbestos removal and demolition of buildings, removal of underground storage tanks, relocating all underground and overheard utilities, and lowering a 345 KV NY Power Authority Electric Facility line supplying up to 80 percent of Nassau County’s electrical needs in the summer months. We assembled the steel LIRR track bridge on site and rolled it into place during a weekend with a double track outage.”
The company also is working on a NYSDOT contract replacing a bridge carrying Route 25 over the LIRR in Southwold, N.Y., and constructing an associated 3,707 ft. (1130 m) length of Route 25. The job involves protecting an existing LIRR line during construction of the bridge and demolition of the old overpass.
Prior to the start of construction, the entire area required a surcharge embankment to induce settlement of the underlying soils, which included clay. This surcharge was built using a combination of temporary walls and steel sheeting.
The new bridge foundation will be supported on cast-in-place concrete piles. Due to adjacent wetlands, a minimum amount of land was available for the new roadway and so permanent steel sheeting is being used to support the roadway embankment.
NYSDOT has announced that a number of mobility and safety improvements are planned for the Route 110 corridor between the Long Island Expressway and the Northern State Parkway.
Projects under its NY Route 110 Safety and Mobility Improvement Project include reconstruction of the Route 110 and Northern State parkway interchange.
Iron and Subs
With 40 employees on site, Posillico Civil Inc.is fielding a large fleet of equipment, which includes:
• Caterpillar 322 and 345 excavators;
• Caterpillar 938G payloader;
• Caterpillar D4G dozer;
• Caterpillar 420 backhoe;
• Caterpillar AP655C asphalt paver and CS563 roller;
• Grove RT635C picker;
• Ingersoll Rand DD-90HF and DD-138A rollers;
• Link-Belt HC 258 200-ton (181 t) crane; and
• Komatsu PC308 excavator.
Posillico has tapped several subcontractors to work on the job, including:
• Johnson Electrical Construction Corporation, Hauppauge, N.Y., is carrying out the electrical work;
• NE Structural Steel Inc., Mount Vernon, N.Y., is handling bridge jacking and structural steel;
• The NUCO Painting Corporation, Islandia, N.Y., is responsible for removing lead paint and carrying out new painting;
• Island Pavement Cutting Company Inc., West Babylon, N.Y., is Posillico’s saw cutting and pavement sealing subcontractor;
• Safety Marking Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., is providing temporary and permanent pavement markings;
• Ponderosa Fence Enterprises Inc., Hicksville, N.Y., is responsible for cantilever sign structures and installing chain link fence, bridge rail, guide rail and signs;
• Landscaping is by Gayle Bard Landscapes Inc., Dix Hills, N.Y.;
• And concrete curb and sidewalk work will be carried out by the Island Concrete Construction Corporation of Centereach, N.Y.
This story also appears on Crane Equipment Guide.
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