East 34th Street Heliport Fuel System Reconstruction

The Challenge: The 34th Street Heliport sits directly on the East River with the FDR bordering the west side of the property. It is a very active site with tight working conditions. During Hurricane Sandy in 2012, flooding from the East River heavily damaged the existing tanks and fuel system. As a result, The Franklin Company was hired as a contractor and consultant to repair the site and return it to full fueling operation. The client knew that they had to upgrade the tanks but had permitting problems, rail right of way issues with the East River tunnels, and site constraints with the FDR Drive and the East River.

Our Approach: Franklin Company educated the client on the many complex issues and provided innovative and cost-effective solutions. Franklin provided expertise on how to navigate the permitting and engineering process to get a new fuel system installed quickly and efficiently.

Engineering Solution: The decision was made not to fully remove the existing tanks but to re-use the existing tanks as a cradle for the new tanks to be installed. This allowed for the use of the existing tank foundations that had already been approved by authorities having jurisdiction.

Successful Outcome: Franklin’s creative problem solving resulted in enormous cost savings and reduced installation time for the client. The client received a fully functional fuel system with storm hardened installation and all new fueling equipment, and was able to resume fueling months and even potentially years quicker than if they had had to get permits for an all new system.

Contact The Franklin Company Contractors for your petroleum construction project needs.