Alexandria Bay Port of Entry Modernization Project Relies on Pre-Installed Doors to Reduce Project Timelines
Background
Alexandria Bay Port of Entry, on Wellesley Island, New York, in the western straits of the St. Lawrence River, is the sixth busiest crossing for U.S.-bound commercial vehicles on the U.S./Canada border.
The 40-year-old port underwent a $215 million construction project to expand and modernize by enhancing its overall efficiency and traffic flow.
The facility includes a main administration building for passenger vehicle screening, commercial inspection warehouse, veterinary services building and employee and ancillary inspection facilities. An elevated parking facility connects each of the major buildings.
Project leaders are seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for the entire project, with 13 of the 39 required LEED credits directly controlled through construction efforts.
The Northland/Cianbro Joint Venture, based in Pittsfield, Maine, was awarded the construction contract for the project.
ASSA ABLOY Products Installed
- CURRIES pre-finished 747 Series steel-stiffened doors, 757 Series sound-rated doors and 737 Series bullet-resistant doors
- Series bullet-resistant doors • SARGENT 8200 Series mortise locks, 10 Line cylindrical locks and 80 Series exit devices
- SARGENT Degree® key system with DG3 high-security, UL437 Listed cylinders
- Norton Rixson 7500 Series door closers and overhead door stops
- McKinney heavyweight hinges and wiring harnesses
- Pemko smoke seals, weatherstrips, door sweeps and thresholds
- Rockwood RM3300 architectural door pulls, push plates, door stops and kick plates
- ASSA ABLOY key management software
Alexandria Bay Port of Entry Modernization Project Relies on Pre-Installed Doors to Reduce Project Timelines
Northland Associates, Inc.’s Senior Project Manager Tim Tyler said, “There are an incredible number of moving parts in a project of this size, so we are constantly looking for opportunities to increase our efficiency and accuracy and reduce our timelines. One way we have accomplished this is by ordering preinstalled doors, frames and hardware through our distributor partner, Kelley Brothers.”
For the main administrative building, the architect, Morphosis Architects, specified metal doors that measure 8 feet 10 inches in height to give the building a monumental appearance. The facility includes CURRIES 757 Series sound-rated doors to create sound-resistant spaces and CURRIES 737 Series bullet-resistant doors
Kelley Brothers supplied Northland/Cianbro with a range of ASSA ABLOY products including CURRIES steel stiffened doors and a SARGENT Degree® high-security key system with removable cores. Pre-installed on these doors were SARGENT mortise locks, cylindrical locks and exit devices, Norton Rixson door closers, Rockwood architectural door pulls, push plates, and kick plates.
The doors were shipped to the job site with all hinges, locks, closers and exit devices already installed. This achieved three important objectives: it increased accuracy because the correct hardware was installed on each door, it expedited installation because the only task needed to be done on site was to hang the doors in the correct openings, and it reduced the number of laborers needed on site to install the door components.
Tyler noted, “In terms of speed, it was a relief for our installers to know that when they arrived on site, they only had to hang and balance doors, install thresholds, door stops and seals. Everything else was done in advance.”
In addition, the project team also specified use of ASSA ABLOY’s key management software to help facility managers keep track of all keys. They also ensured all locks had interchangeable core cylinders to simplify changeouts when the facility experiences employee turnover.
Port Building Manager Brian O’Connor, said, “This software eliminates the need to maintain paper records and enables us to keep track not only of what lock sets are in which door openings, but also which employees hold keys to those locks. And, by using interchangeable cores, if an employee is terminated or severs ties with our organization, we can quickly and easily switch out the cores in locks rather than having to replace the entire lock itself. It’s a fast, inexpensive way to uphold security.”
For more information on ASSA ABLOY products, contact your sales representative.