NYS Fairgrounds RV Park & Midway Expansion

The Details

New York contracted The Wesson Group to add 315 RV spaces and additional midway space at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, New York. We installed thousands of feet of storm pipe, sanitary pipe, and water lines as well as over 30 acres of topsoil, seed, and asphalt paving. The $28.9 million project was named winner of the ENR 2016 New York Region’s Award of Merit in the Sports/Entertainment Category.

Scope of Work

• 315-space RV park and expanded midway

• 60,000 CY cut-to-fill material

• 200,000 tons of imported fill

• 14,000 LF storm pipe

• 10,000 LF sanitary pipe

• 80 manholes

• 25,600 LF water line

• 24,900 LF electrical ductbank

• 35 acres of topsoil and seed

• 30 acres of asphalt paving

Peak Daily Operations

• 115 craft workers

• 75 tri-axles importing aggregate

• 25 pieces of on-site equipment operated

The Challenge

This was a critical project for New York State and their scheduled activities in 2016, including The Great New York State Fair. The fairgrounds was an aged facility with very poor records of existing utility locations and as-built conditions. The new utility installation resulted in continual obstructions with existing utilities that required immediate solutions on this fast-paced project. In addition, our work required interaction with the general public with the on-going use of the site during construction. Careful planning of work activities with heightened safety and security measures was a critical success factor for the project.

The Result

This project should serve as a model of how intense collaberation between an owner, construction manager, and contractor can overcome challenges from aggressive schedules and varying existing site conditions on an active public facility. Each stakeholder had decisionmakers on site, which led to rapid solutions, and a most impressive completion duration for this project of only 83 calendar days.