Funded by the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, the $7-million Lake George Beach Day Use Area project was the third in a string of three similar projects along the shore of Lake George. The design incorporated new methods intended to improve water quality in the lake while also promoting green infrastructure and attending to the safety of passersby.

Other construction objectives included repairing the weakening pavement and drainage system, minimizing conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles at the entrance of the beach and promoting sustainable construction. Managing traffic and circulation was another key aspect of the project.

The lead design firm, Barton & Loguidice, also designed a frost and heave resistant conventional asphalt pavement structure system intended to virtually eliminate potholes, heaving and the surface cracking that often affects Northeast roadways as well as parking lots and other paved areas.

In order to meet ADA compliance, ensure that the facility would be sustainable and improve safety, the project site was raised between 4 and 5 ft above the original site level, which was only 3 ft above lake level. 

The project featured more than three acres of heavy-duty porous asphalt designed to withstand heavy truck and bus traffic; bio-retention systems; and underground detention and infiltration backup systems. Additional materials utilized by the construction team included vegetated infiltration swales, precast porous concrete, vegetated pretreatment areas and LED lighting. The Day Use Area was designed to stand as an educational model for future projects. 

In order to ensure that work was complete by the opening of Lake George’s tourist season, the construction team followed an accelerated construction schedule. The Day Use Area project was completed in eight months, and the area was opened to the public in May of this year, in time for Memorial Day weekend.
 

Lake George Beach Day Use Area Parking

Lake George, N.Y.

Key Players

Owner/Developer NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Lead Design Firm/Structural Engineer/Civil Engineer Barton & Loguidice DPC

General Contractor/Construction Manager Rifenburg Construction