In a first for North America, the East Side Access metro project will utilise a 100% BarChip synthetic fiber reinforced concrete track slab.Currently under construction, the US $11.1 Billion East Side Access rail tunnel will be the newest addition to the New York City metro system. The metro line will connect newly constructed tunnels in Queens and Manhattan to the existing 63rd Street Tunnel under the East River.
- Over 8 miles of metro track
- Excavated by TBM
- First synthetic fiber reinforced concrete track slab in North America
- Eliminated the need to install steel rebar in the difficult work environment
- Reduced the risk of stray electrical currents
Along the length of the ESA alignment, new tracks are being built and old tracks are being replaced. In Harold Interlocking – one of the busiest train interlockings in the United States – work is being done to reconfigure and modernize the complex system of switches and tracks that serve four commuter rail systems and a cargo freight rail with the goal of smoothing and speeding travel through the area. A major component of this work is the use of BarChip fiber reinforced concrete for the rail track slab.
BarChip eliminates the need to place traditional rebar in the cramped and difficult to access work-site. The increased speed of construction this solutions offers has resulted in a cost saving of nearly 50% vs. a traditional steel system.
In addition, the use of BarChip fibre concrete reduced the need to install grounding in the slabs to capture stray electrical current from the third rail to power the trains.
The East Side Access project joins a growing list of successful BarChip fibre reinforced concrete track slabs around the world, including the Sydney Metro in Australia, the Docklands Light Rail in the UK and the Bukit Berapit high speed rail in Malaysia.
