McKissack, under contract to Greenland Forest City Partners (formerly Forest City Ratner Companies), provided construction management and program management services for the relocation of the MTA Long Island Rail Road’s Vanderbilt Yard in Brooklyn. This project was integral to Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards development plan, which included the new Barclays Center, the new home of the Brooklyn Nets.  The project includes four stages of construction.

The main scope for Stage 1 included the construction of a temporary yard between 6th Ave and Vanderbilt Ave. To build this temporary yard, the existing Carlton Avenue Bridge was demolished to allow the trains to pass. McKissack managed the installation of a temporary bridge to move trains from the existing east portal to the new temporary yard.  Once this was complete, the existing Vanderbilt Yard was demolished to make way for the start of construction for the new Barclay’s Center.

Stage 2 construction included the rebuilding and replacement of the Carlton Avenue Bridge, which allowed for the railroad to move from the Stage 1 yard to the new north yard. McKissack managed the installation of an extensive underground drainage system to prevent flooding of the yard.  This system included installing a pump station that ties into the City storm water located at the corner of Pacific Street and 6th Avenue.  As construction proceeded for the pump station, installation of all utilities for the yard proceeded as well as foundations for the future overbuild platform. Upon completion of Stage 2, Stages 2B and 2C began, which allowed us to get a jump on the Support of Excavation (SOE) construction for Stages 3 and 4.  We managed the installation of SOE piles along Pacific Street from 6th Avenue to Vanderbilt Avenue to allow for excavation down to the level of the new North Yard.

Stages 3 & 4 of construction provided a fully signaled yard, a permanent employee facility building, an in-ground toilet manifold system and a new rail link connecting the yard with Atlantic Terminal. This new link known as the “West Portal” allows trains to pull directly into the yard from the station negating the need for trains to operate a quarter mile east and then back into the yard.