Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced today, Oct. 29, that the Tappan Zee Bridge (TZB) closed at 4 p.m. and both the Hugh Carey and Holland tunnels closed at 2 p.m. as Hurricane Sandy bore down on the New York City region with storm gusts of up to 80 to 85 miles per hour. NYC bridges are "quickly becoming unsafe," Cuomo said in a statement. However, they will remain open to emergency vehicles and personnel. Other bridges to be closed include the Throgs Neck, Bronx-Whitestone, Verrazano-Narrows, Henry Hudson, Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial, Cross Bay Veterans Memorial, and George Washington. The Staten

Photo by Cathleen McGuigan for Architectural Record The crane atop One57, the rising $1.5 billion residential tower opposite Carnegie Hall, has fallen over in the winds of Hurricane Sandy. Related Links: Partially Collapsed Crane at NYC 'Billionaire's Haven' ENR.com Storm Updates The superstructure of a 1,000-ft-tall tower crane working in Midtown Manhattan left dangling from Hurricane Sandy is at risk of falling down into the streets, says one crane expert watching the event unfold from afar.Terry McGettigan, a tower crane expert in Seattle with 36 years of operating, maintenance and inspection experience, told ENR in a phone interview that the

The Statue of Liberty reopens today, Oct. 28, with a celebration of its 126th birthday and the substantial completion of a one-year, $30-million upgrade to meet current life-safety codes. The majority of the renovation work was in the 145-ft granite pedestal that Lady Liberty stands on, with further work on the rails and protective glass on the stairs leading up to the crown. Photo Courtesy of Mills + Schnoering Architects The project team is putting the finishing touches on a few elements including commissioning of the new HVAC system and on the terreplein stairs leading to the ground level, all

Industry members are eager to hear further details of New York State's recently released plan to add up to 3,200 megawatts of power generation and transmission capacity to the state's grid with up to $5.7 billion to be invested via public-private partnerships. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Dept. of Energy The plan would add up to 3,200 megawatts of power generation and transmission capacity to the state's grid. "Our members build [energy infrastructure] and are also businesses concerned about the cost of energy, which in New York State is above the national average. Our transmission system is very, very antiquated,"

Even as New York City embarks on the public review process for the planned $2-billion-plus Cornell NYC Tech Center on Roosevelt Island, some higher education professionals warn that there will likely be a funding slowdown in coming years for some parts of the sector. While the extent of the slowdown will vary depending on factors including the institution, the culprit will be the same one that has plagued all sectors during the recession—the economy, which is causing some funding sources to pull back. Rendering Courtesy of Columbia University Big Plans: Columbia University is in the first phase of its $6.3-billion

New York City plans to make more than $1 billion available for infrastructure projects that are already in progress or ready to begin, under an accelerated program announced today, Oct. 17. The move, part of the city's updated four-year Capital Commitment Plan, will create about 8,000 mostly construction-related jobs during the next two fiscal years, said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in announcing the effort at a press conference with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and City Comptroller John Liu. To do this, the city will borrow the $1 billion at low interest rates at a time when construction costs are also

New York City began the seven-month uniform land use review procedure (ULURP) today, Oct. 15, for the 12-acre Cornell NYC Tech Center planned for Roosevelt Island. The action initiates the public review phase of Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology's updated master plan of their 30-year, $2-billion-plus planned applied sciences project. Cornell has also released new renderings of the 12-acre tech campus that, when completed in 2037, will include up to 2.1 million sq ft of development. First-phase plans call for breaking ground in 2014 on the first academic building, designed by Thom Mayne and Morphosis Architects. This will

Long Beach High School's $29-million renovation and expansion project was made possible thanks to the school district's ability to get voter approval of a $92.7-million bond referendum in 2009. But getting school bond approval during the recession was—and still is—a difficult feat for most schools, finance and construction industry experts say. Photo by Tom Sibley/Wilk Marketing communications Capital Project: Long Beach High School's renovation and expansion project is part of the school district's $98.9-million preservation plan. Rendering Courtesy of Riverhead Central School District Getting the Vote: It took two tries, but the Riverhead Central School District was able to get

The Hudson River waterfront in Jersey City, N.J., has undergone a renaissance—especially in the last decade with the completion of such major structures as the Goldman Sachs tower at 30 Hudson Street. Dubbed "Wall Street West" due to the number of financial institutions that line the river across from lower Manhattan, the area was expected to help lead the way for major redevelopment in the rest of the city. While this has not happened to the degree expected, locals say there are signs that development might be starting to spread. Related Links: ENR New York More ENR New York Projects

Plans to build a new Tappan Zee Bridge have moved a step forward with the federal government’s approval of the final environmental impact statement for the project. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office announced yesterday, Sept. 25, that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued a record of decision (ROD) approving the state’s plan for the $5-billion-plus bridge replacement. The move is the final step in the review of the project’s environmental impact. “With this major milestone, New York once again is demonstrating that we can make government work efficiently and effectively for the people of the state, and we