ENR New York's website was active this year as the number of readers that spent time viewing news and project pages grew from the prior year.

Most currently, stories about Superstorm Sandy that hit the region on Oct. 29 are still generating reader clicks.

But a look back to January shows that the tri-state industry got off to a quick start with mega-project plans announced for Cornell University's Roosevelt Island Tech Campus and New York University's expansion.

Not all news was good, however, as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey came under fire early in the year regarding spending and management issues.

The year also had its share of industry accidents. The first of several widely publicized 2012 crane accidents occurred in February when a cable snapped at the 4 World Trade Center site, spilling the crane's load.

Two months later in an unrelated incident the Metropolitan Transportation Authority ordered crane inspections at all of its sites and temporarily halted work on the No. 7 line, following a crane collapse at that project.

Among the year's numerous infrastructure hot topics were New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's newly created NY Works Task Force, as well as "Gridlock" Sam's proposal to make the city's toll-collection system more equitable.

Plans for several major bridge projects including the Tappan Zee and the Verrazano-Narrows took shape as the year progressed.

Mergers and acquisitions deals in the region this year included Thornton Tomasetti's purchase of green building firm Fore Solutions; and CHA's acquisition of engineering and design firm RW Armstrong.

Here's a look at other top-rated stories that grabbed reader's attention in 2012.

Court Orders New York State DOT to Stop Highway Project and Rebid Job

One of ENR New York's most clicked on stories of the year and one that drew many industry comments, this story involves a cancelled $72.4-million contract to upgrade roadway. A state court ruled that the agency violated competitive bidding laws by requiring compliance with a project labor agreement.

Beam Accident Shatters Windows at 4 WTC

Only four months after the crane cable snap at 4 WTC, the site once again suffered another blow when a crane's steel load hit and shattered windows on the 45th and 46th floors of the same tower.

Both stories remain among the most viewed this year.

Tappan Zee Bridge Team Expected to Be Chosen This Summer

Just who would be chosen for the design-build team on this multibillion-dollar bridge replacement project has held industry's attention for a good part of the year.

Transportation officials released a short list of contenders for the job in February and named Tappan Zee Constructors—a consortium that includes Fluor Enterprises, Granite Construction Northeast, American Bridge Co. and Traylor Bros. Inc.—as the winners earlier this month. The team, which also includes engineering firms HDR, Buckland & Taylor and URS, submitted a $3.14-billion bid, the lowest of all the competing teams.

Transportation, Institutional Work Dominate Rankings

Construction activity in the region remained sluggish for much of this year but stories about industry's latest economic outlook, including project top starts, remained popular with readers.