On December 7th, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) unveiled its new, storm-resilient, Clifton Car Maintenance Shop on Staten Island. The 93,000-square-foot facility houses the Staten Island Railway’s repair shop and offices. It is built to withstand heavy winds and water intrusion after the previous space suffered severe water damage during Hurricane Sandy.
Funding for the $165 million design-build project was allocated from the Federal Transit Administration’s Hurricane Sandy recovery program. Within the facility, there are four tracks for railway car inspections and repairs, interior car cleaning and approved car modification programs, and an overhead lifting system for changing roof-mounted air conditioning units and lifting car bodies for maintenance. The facility is built to withstand Category 2 hurricane water and sustained wind pressures of up to 110 miles per hour, plus a three-foot water surge.
Goldman Copeland provided mechanical, plumbing, and fire protection design, as part of the design-build team led by Prismatic Development. Eric Mitchell, Principal at Goldman Copeland, oversaw the firm’s work, which involved a high level of coordination, given its many complexities.
Design of the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning for the repair shop, for instance, provides an exhaust system that addresses the diesel engines being brought into the facility. Similarly, the plumbing design accommodates the requirements for compressed air needed for pressure washing systems and for pneumatic lifts and tools.
More information on the opening of the Clifton Car Maintenance Shop is available here. If you would like to speak with Goldman Copeland about engineering needs, please contact Sarah Ingber at [email protected].
Photo courtesy of MTA
