The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has scheduled nine public hearings on August 16 in response to the controversial Hudson River toll/fare hikes it proposed earlier this month. The PA cites several factors for a need to raise revenues, including more than $11 billion in funding necessary to rebuild the World Trade Center and $6 billion in increased security requirement costs since the September 11 attacks. The hearings will take place in both New York and New Jersey and registration at the agency’s Web site is required. The PA will accept comments online through 6 p.m. August
Courtesy of National September 11 Memorial & Museum Panels with 2,983 names of victims can be heated or cooled for the comfort of visitors. Photo by Nadine Post/ENR Sole surviving tree from 9/11. Related Links: At New York's New World Trade Center, Uncommon Cooperation Key Links Help Reshape Manhattan Below Grade at WTC Hub, a Transit Tango Tower Crews Get Royal Treatment Editorial: In Close Quarters, Spirit of Cooperation Reigns Slide Show: ENRs World Trade Center Saga Continues Port Authoritys World Trade Center Site All Coverage of Rebuilding Ground Zero Video: Progress in Rebuilding Ground Zero Video: An Overview of
The construction industry unemployment rate fell to 13.6% in July, from 17.3% in the same year-ago period, according to recently released analysis of federal employment data by the Associated General Contractors of America. The number of unemployed people who previously worked in construction shrank by nearly 400,000 in the same time period, says Ken Simonson, chief economist at AGCA, Arlington, VA. However, the July 2011 employment total of 5,532,000 was only 32,000 higher than in July 2010, he says. "It is encouraging that the construction industry has added 54,000 jobs, or 1 percent, since hitting bottom last January," Simonson says.
EnvironmentalIt took three days, but workers at New York City's North River Wastewater Treatment Plant finally succeeded in stopping raw sewage from flowing into the Hudson River after a fire shuttered the plant on July 20. On average, the plant, located in Harlem west of the West Side Highway, treats 20 million gallons per day of wastewater. The plant has been in operation since 1986.The four-alarm blaze began in the engine room at about 11:45 a.m., shutting down pumps and causing millions of gallons of sewage to spill into the river. Dept. of Environmental Protection workers and contractors stopped the
The construction industry is not recovering as quickly as expected, says Robert A. Murray, McGraw-Hill Construction's vice president of economic affairs. Total construction starts in 2011 are forecast to reach $413 billion, a 3% decline from 2010, Murray says in an update of MHC's mid-year outlook. Expectations were higher for this year as starts had leveled off last year after plunging 24% in 2009. First-half 2011 starts have "bounced along the bottom," providing little evidence that the industry is heading toward sustained growth, Murray says. He cites a weak single-family housing market and a steep decline in public works.There are
Revenues of top contractors in the tristate region held steady in 2010, even as the third year of the weak economy continued to force many to trim budgets and staff.
Engine pumps were restarted Friday at a Manhattan wastewater treatment plant struck July 20th by a fire that caused millions of gallons of raw sewage to spill into the Hudson River, according to the Associated Press. The four-alarm blaze began in the engine room of the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant at about 11:45 a.m., causing raw sewage to seep into the Hudson River at about 5:15 p.m., the New York City Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement. DEP said that staff and unspecified contractors are repairing equipment, assessing damage and performing clean up activities at the plant,
The Mason Tenders District Council and the Contractors Association of Greater New York reached a tentative agreement June 29, says Louis Coletti, president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers’ Association. The deal could help avert a potential strike or slowdown in New York City construction. All eyes are on the Operating Engineers, which hold the most sway over potential work stoppages. Louis Coletti, president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers’ Association says, “This is a defining moment in the history of the union construction industry,” Coletti says. “New York City is the strongest union town in the country.”
Manhattan added about 20 million sq ft of new office space from 2001 to 2010 but is not expected to add any significantly sized office towers this year, according to a new New York Building Congress report. The exception is a 33,700-sq-ft tower at 2 Allen Street that is expected to be completed late this year. Growth may be ahead, however, with several planned major projects set for mid-decade completion, the trade group says. Despite the forecast, there is still reason for cautious optimism, says Louis Coletti, president and CEO of the Building Trades Employers' Association. "When you look at
Residential and commercial solar energy firm Real Goods Solar Inc. has signed a deal to merge with Wilton, CT-based Alteris Renewables Inc., a solar energy and wind power installer that serves the Northeast. The deal, subject to Real Goods Solar’s shareholder approval, is expected to close in the third quarter. Photo Courtesy of Real Goods Solar Inc. Based in Boulder, Colo., Real Goods Solar serves the Colorado and California markets and the deal gives it a foothold in the growing Northeast market. Alteris has been on the acquisition trail in recent years, acquiring renewable energy firm ISI Solar, New