BRIEF INTRODUCTION

The Observation Wheel on Steel Pier is the third largest wheel in the United States standing at 227 Feet High and costing $14 Million to construct.

THE OPPORTUNITY

PS&S has the opportunity to help develop a new attraction in Atlantic City, NJ. Anthony Catanoso bought an Observation Wheel from Italy and wanted to put it on Steel Pier. Catanoso had previously purchased the pier with the intention to add this new attraction to it.

THE CHALLENGE

The Observation Wheel’s location is right off the Atlantic Ocean where previous storms such as Superstorm Sandy passed by with over 130mph winds. The massive wheel needed to withstand those high winds if another storm of that degree comes through. The location of the 485,000-pound wheel on a pier over water opposed to on solid ground created a different engineering challenge outside of the storm-force winds.

THE PS&S SOLUTION

PS&S engineers were integral to the development of the Wheel by providing the technical expertise to create a path forward for the construction of the Observation Wheel atop the existing Steel Pier structure. In doing so, the PS&S team eliminated the need to build an adjacent pier for the observation wheel, saving its owner millions of dollars and the prospect of a lengthy and uncertain permitting process. The Wheel will be a year-round attraction to Atlantic City’s Boardwalk and provide evidence of the ongoing revitalization of this iconic New Jersey city.