The engineering company responsible for the Las Vegas High Roller are in negotiations with the developers of the New York Wheel.
It’s hoped that the company behind the vast Sin City Ferris wheel will bring their expertise to the struggling Staten Island project.
So far the development has been a series of disasters. The budget was bloated, an intense lawsuit developed and the developers behind the enormous New York Wheel recently fired Mammoet-Starneth LLC for missing deadlines.
It looked as if the project would be delayed indefinitely. However the hiring of American Bridge Co., based in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, could prove to be a game changer.
The company built the Las Vegas High Roller Observation Wheel and the new Tappan Zee bridge that crosses the Hudson. It is in advanced negotiations to take over and complete the New York attraction, according to Cristyne Nicholas, spokesperson for the New York Wheel.
“Work on the terminal building continues,” says Nicholas. “The New York Wheel expects to announce a new completion date in the near future.”
American Bridge is known for engineering and construction innovations that date back to the early 20th century. It designed and built the Bayonne Bridge in 1931, the longest arch superstructure in the world at that point in time. It was also involved in the design of the Empire State Building.
The High Roller in Las Vegas is currently the tallest observation wheel in the world at 550 feet. The New York Wheel would pass it at 630 feet high. It will be able to fit a total of 1,440 people per ride.
The aim is to create a tourist attraction larger than the London Eye and more profitable than the Empire State Building’s observatory deck.
Other projects in the surrounding neighbourhood, such as BFC Partners’ 350,000-square-foot mall, are still scheduled to be open next year.
Around $1.3 billion in private money is being invested into Staten Island.
Image courtesy of the New York Wheel.
https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2017/08/14/american-bridge-co-may-take-over-new-york-wheel.html
