Wind Creek Bethlehem
Wind Creek Bethlehem
When owners of the then-named Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, PA received a slots license in 2004, they envisioned much more than an average casino. The mixed-use development they planned included a 282-room hotel and a vast indoor retail mall. The enormity of the project created a compelling parking need, not for any ordinary garage, but for a sweeping parking solution.
Not only would we have to design and build the largest facility we had ever constructed, we would need to synchronize our work with that of contractors on those three other large projects – all with the same unshifting opening date.
When we were done, we had constructed 19 football fields of parking space on budget and ahead of schedule.
Value Engineering = $20-Million Savings
Carl Walker Construction’s unique design was key to our being awarded this project. We specified lighter, stronger castellated beams, doubling span lengths. Slip-formed, cast-in-place, post-tensioned deck slabs reduced slab thickness, lowering the total weight of the structure by 833 tons. Post-tensioning of slabs redistributed stress to beams and columns, further lowering slab thickness and reducing the potential for cracking. 5,000 tons of steel framing was hot dipped to resist corrosion, extending the longevity of the structure by decades.
Carl Walker Construction self-performed all concrete deck work and completed all waterproofing work, including sealant at cold joints and penetrating silane sealer on deck surfaces.
The in-garage bus depot presented a particular challenge. We needed to facilitate the 43-foot turning radius of tour buses and allow clearance for vehicles 12-feet tall. Eliminating columns from that level of the garage required beams 9-feet high and 100-feet long that had to be trucked to the site under police escort.
Project Highlights
• Industry – Casino
• Location – Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
• Specifications
– 1,100,000 square foot parking facility
– 5,000 tons of steel framing
– $20-million savings in value engineering
– Work completed ahead of critical deadline