The George Washington Bridge Bus Station (GWBBS) is located in Upper Manhattan and averages more than 20,000 customers per day. This project was an adaptive re-use of the existing GWBBS facility and has a life expectancy of 50 years. The project included consolidated bus operations, direct vertical transportation from the street and subway levels and 120,000 sf of retail space. HEA’s scope of work included all mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems; all of which met the necessary requirements to satisfy the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Sustainable Design Guidelines for Energy Environmental Qualities Credits (EEQ)-2 Building Systems Commissioning.
Q/A with Frank DiSalvo, Senior Project Engineer
When first contracted for this project, what did the client express as the main goal / most pressing need for our services to accomplish?
HEA’s initial commissioning discussions with STV, Inc. began with a minimal outline of coverage, beginning only with the interests of covering the basic major systems of this bus station overhaul back in the early period of March 2010. The progress and relationship began slowly with a need for improvement on the work progress and coordination of system testing.
What was the biggest challenge faced during this project and how was HEA able to navigate through any problems faced due to this challenge?
The project was experiencing unforeseen delays and sluggish progress partway into construction, so one of the many challenges faced was managing onsite commissioning with uncoordinated contractors and project managers. With high scheduling and budget concerns, HEA teamed up with a new project director (DV) and began conducting regular progress and commissioning meetings to get all contractors and subs onboard towards a team goal.
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