Photo By Marc A. Hermann/MTA New York City Transit Just Short of a Rebuild: Transit personnel inspect Montague tube damage that is so severe the tube requires a major overhaul. Related Links: At Four Years Old, a New Station Needs Rethinking After Sandy, A SpecialReport on the Superstorm Reconstruction New York City Transit plans to start major reconstruction work this summer on two subway tunnels that were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy. The agency is preparing bid documents for the work, which is expected to be divided into two projects, each with multiple contracts that will total more than $100
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled his long-awaited proposal today, June 11, on how to improve the city's resiliency in extreme weather events, like Superstorm Sandy, and better guard against the effects of climate change. The plan would require a hefty long-term investment of $19.5 billion, although, about $10 billion of this is already covered via Sandy-related federal relief funds and the city's ongoing capital program, Bloomberg says. "Because of the scale of the challenge posed by climate change, even a tailored plan scaled to available resources brings with it a significant price tag that will need to be
The U.S. Dept. of Labor plans to hold two conferences this month on prevailing wage rules for New York and New Jersey areas hard hit by Superstorm Sandy. The N.Y. conference is set for June 20-21 at Long Island's Stony Brook University, and the N.J. meeting is scheduled for June 26-27 at the Atlantic City Convention Center. Related Links: Lessons Learned From a Superstorm The conferences spotlight a major area of concern for some industry professionals who contend that contractors will likely encounter more DOL officers showing up at their sites to enforce prevailing wage rules. They say this will
Homeowners in Breezy Point, Queens, face major decisions in coming months as the federal government prepares to issue new flood elevation maps and state and local governments begin to disburse Sandy relief funds. Located on the western side of the Rockaway Beach peninsula, Breezy Point was pummeled by Superstorm Sandy on Oct. 29 last year. Some 350 homes were lost in the storm, 125 of them from a fire that swept through part of the community that night and the remainder in the 4- to 5-ft-high floodwaters that rose as the Atlantic Ocean on the south side met the Rockaway
Part of the 16-acre World Trade Center complex under construction in Manhattan, the memorial is a public space centered around two reflecting pools that sit in the footprints of the original towers.
With much of the immediate Superstorm Sandy recovery work completed, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is turning its sights on longer-term projects caused by the storm. Agency officials who spoke at ENR New York's 4th Annual MTA MWDBE Conference, held May 9 in New York, encouraged minority, women and disadvantaged business enterprises (MWDBEs) to look to the MTA for recovery work opportunities. Photo Courtesy of MTA NY Transit/Lenny Wiggins Send Singals: Crews work on signal and communications cables on the A line in the Rockaways that were severely damaged by the storm. NYC mayoral candidate Bill Thompson gave the keynote
The signs of a gradual recovery are beginning to surface for the region's design firms as private sector work—especially for the commercial, multifamily and higher education markets—increases.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has awarded more than $2 billion worth of contracts for long-anticipated work on three bridges spanning Staten Island and New Jersey—including the region's first major public-private partnership (P3) to replace the Goethals Bridge, at $1.5 billion.
Related Links: NJ Design Firm Executives Face Pay-to-Play Charges Revised Tax Law Will Help Industry Firms, But Some Provisions Fall Short The 300 recently furloughed and unpaid employees of Birdsall Services Group, Inc., Eatontown, N.J., breathed a bit easier on April 15 as the engineering firm agreed to pay $3.6 million to settle criminal prosecution charges with the state. The action unfreezes assets of Birdsall, which still remains under indictment on corruption charges and is seeking bankruptcy protection, and allows the firm to operate and call employees back to work with pay. Birdsall, meanwhile, is in talks with a potential
Birdsall Services Group, Inc., Eatontown, N.J., furloughed 300 employees on April 10 after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order in favor of the State of New Jersey's efforts to block the embattled engineering firm's bankruptcy filing. Birdsall is also in talks with a potential buyer, according to court filings. Birdsall and seven of its former executives were indicted on corruption charges on March 26, and the firm filed for bankruptcy on March 29. The temporary restraining order, issued by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp, blocks Birdsall from using cash collateral for salaries and other expenses, says a