Tilcon Supplies Concrete for Foxwoods Expansion
Section: Ready Mix Concrete

Rendition of the new Foxwoods $700 million expansion from the Commercial Record's website

Tilcon pouring concrete at the Foxwoods' jobsite. The new hotel tower construction is on the right.

Las Vegas-based MGM Mirage has agreed to lease the name, MGM Grand, to the Mashantucket Pequot tribe for a 700 million dollar expansion at Foxwoods, the world’s largest casino. This expansion for the new casino and hotel has lent itself to 60,000 cubic yards of concrete of which Tilcon’s ready mix division will supply half. The two million-square-foot addition to Foxwoods will include a new hotel tower with 824 rooms and a 21,000 square-foot spa; 115,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, a 50,000 square-foot ballroom; a 4,000 seat performing arts theater for concerts, and a casino with 40,000 square feet of gaming space and retail outlets.

Manafort Brothers and J.L. Marshall, both concrete contractors, won different parts of the project. Both hired Tilcon as a concrete supplier.

One of Tilcon’s challenges with the project is achieving and maintaining high strength concrete; in particular, for the 28-story hotel tower, which includes 8,000 psi (pounds per square inch) for the first 10 floors of the tower, one of the highest strengths of concrete Tilcon produces. Increasingly lesser strengths of concrete are needed as the tower goes up because the first 10 floors carry the weight of the other floors. The project includes diverse mixes such as lightweight (3,000 psi) and normal weight concrete at 3,500 to 4,500 psi. Also, the project schedule requires the completion of one floor per week of the tower with a two-shift operation, day and night, which calls for Tilcon’s expertise and experience with mix designs and quality control.

MGM Mirage is one of the world's leading and most respected hotel and gaming companies and owns and operates 23 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan.

The total new slot machine addition to Foxwoods is 1,500 bringing the property total to 8,900. The state receives a quarter of all slot machine revenue.

The casino expansion, which began in November of 2005, is scheduled for completion in 2008.