The city of New Orleans is well-known for many reasons: it’s the birthplace of jazz, the hub of Creole cuisine, the originator of the famous second line processions and, of course, home to Bourbon Street. Amazingly, that just scratches the surface of the cultural and culinary offerings the city has to offer, so it’s no wonder it welcomed more than 17 million visitors in 2017.[i]
With that kind of volume, on top of a metro population in excess of 1.2 million residents, the city identified the need to build a new terminal to the Louis Armstrong International Airport. Groundbreaking for the project took place in 2016, and it is slated to open May 15. While the focus of the project is clearly on the terminal itself, the airport has been busy adding other amenities to support the growth, including two parking garages.
The design of both garages, one complete and one in the works, call for a variety of precast components provided by Tindall Corporation’s plant in Moss Point, Miss. Contractors completed the first garage in January 2018, approximately 2 months ahead of the construction schedule. It features an elevated pedestrian walkway and an automobile entrance off the elevated terminal roadway on the 3rd floor.
Photo courtesy of Tindall Corporation
The second structure, known as the east parking deck, broke ground on Feb. 5, 2019, and is on an accelerated schedule. To hit the deadline of 16 weeks, two cranes are installing approximately 140 of the 2,200 total precast components per week. Tindall manufactured beams, columns, double tees, wall panels and stairs for on-time delivery at the site. Despite 17 lost days due to weather, the project is close to being on schedule.
“Tindall has been a valuable partner throughout the process of designing and planning for this next structure,” said David Evans, project manager at Broadmoor Construction, general contractor for the east parking garage. “Their team is attentive to the strict requirements of the building and specializes in making production efficient every step of the way.”
Once completed, the east garage will feature exterior speed ramps on each side to keep the inside flat and be connected to the terminal via a covered walkway. The east garage has one level at grade and six elevated levels, while the north garage has one level at grade and five elevated levels. Both have large footprints – one measuring 291-feet-by-529-feet and the other being 194-feet-by-488-feet. Together they provide more than 1,550,000 square feet of parking and accommodate approximately 4,100 vehicles.
“Our team is honored to have the opportunity to produce these structures for the Louis Armstrong Airport with the help of our partners,” said Ed Baldinger, project manager for Tindall’s Mississippi Division. “Our success comes from the entire team’s combined effort towards excellent service.”
[i] https://www.neworleans.com/articles/post/new-orleans-tourism-visitation-and-visitor-spending-break-records-in-2017/
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