In the first two days after Sandy's devastating blow on Oct. 29, 2012, several of the region's largest general contractors began a massive mobilization effort throughout the areas hit the hardest.
By many accounts, the perception is that federal, state and local relief funds in the wake of Superstorm Sandy have been much too slow to trickle down to the people and projects that need them. To be sure, there are signs of significant progress in New York and New Jersey—the states hardest hit by the October 2012 storm. Huge debris piles are gone; major infrastructure was repaired; many devastated homes torn down, repaired and/or elevated; and innovative ideas realized to prevent or withstand the next storm's damage But for thousands of storm victims and many projects, government reimbursement checks are
There are numerous Sandy rebuilding programs in place for homeowners and businesses throughout the region. Two large ones that launched last year with federal dollars are New Jersey's Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation initiative and New York City's Build It Back. While each program had contentious beginnings, both appear to be gaining momentum. Courtesy Of The NYC Mayor's Office of Housing Recovery Gaining Speed: New York City's Build It Back program has so far begun work on 207 projects and another 300 are scheduled to start. Courtesy Of The NYC Mayor's Office of Housing Recovery Gaining Speed: New York City's
New York City is known for many things, but massive space isn't one of them. So when the city's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and its Dept. of Design and Construction (DDC) set about finding an interim housing solution for urbanites displaced by disasters such as Superstorm Sandy, they came up with an idea for a three-apartment unit with about 2,106 ft of living space, which was set on an empty 96-ft by 40-ft lot in downtown Brooklyn. Photo Courtesy of NYC Office of Emergency Management The Next BIG IDEA? The city hopes this little unit might one day be
With the immediate emergency repairs finished following Superstorm Sandy and temporary fixes in place, city and state agencies in New York and New Jersey are now focused on planning, funding and building long-term resiliency projects. The agencies include the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the U.S. National Park Service, whose infrastructure was severely damaged when the hurricane hit the tristate area nearly two years ago. Related Links: More ENR New York Projects Some Tristate Projects Suffer Sandy's Blow Recovery Work Takes Center Stage Tristate Power Companies Surge Ahead With Upgrades "The last six months have meant substantial cleanup and repair,
Landscaped trenches that keep rain from overpowering rivers. Underwater beds of eelgrass to reduce erosion. Waterside sitting areas that would give a front-row seat to the rise in sea levels. These are some of the inventive ways New York City and nearby coastlines might be better protected against severe storms like Sandy as a result of the six winning proposals of the federal government's Rebuild by Design competition. While each proposal tackles a different shoreline region, environmental sensitivity plays a big role in each. Related Links: ENR New York ENR New York Featured Projects The region "is a special geography
NEW JERSEY Gov. Chris Christie has authorized $1.28 billion in state financing for improvements to drinking water and wastewater infrastructure across the state. This includes $355 million aimed at protecting and enabling resiliency upgrades to infrastructure directly impacted by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Related Links: Homepage News "There can be no compromise in protecting the vitality, integrity and resiliency of the state's water supply and wastewater systems, especially in areas that are vulnerable to floods," Christie said on Aug. 8. "This infrastructure must be rigorously maintained to ensure protection of public health and the environment."The signed legislation will provide no-cost
The Connecticut Building Congress has elected Catherine J. Ellithorpe, senior associate for The S/L/A/M Collaborative Inc., as president-elect for 2014-2015. She has been with SLAM since 1988 and leads its corporate architectural studio. Ellithorpe also serves on the marketing committee for the Construction Institute and on the building commission for the town of Suffield. Related Links: ENR New York ENR New York Featured People BenwayThe Institute of Transportation Engineers has elected Paula Benway, transportation manager at Stantec, Rochester, N.Y., as international vice president for 2015. She has more than 28 years of experience in managing transportation planning and traffic engineering
Amid criticism for taking too long to fill major vacancies in his administration, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio chose Rick Chandler as the new commissioner of the Dept. of Buildings last month. Chandler replaces Thomas Fariello, acting commissioner, who took the helm after Robert LiMandri resigned at the end of last year. A professional engineer, Chandler has served as Hunter College's assistant vice president of facilities. His prior experience includes serving as borough commissioner of Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx from 1995 to 2002."The stakes of this work are incredibly high," Chandler said in a statement. "We're there
When the project team for Winthrop University Hospital's new research building approached J&A Concrete about foundation work, the subcontractor was happy to provide a quote—along with an alternative proposal for a much different foundation package that shaved $2 million off the cost. Related Links: More Project Stories Sandy-Hit Beaches Made Whole Again When Winthrop's team chose that route, the five-story, 95,000-sq-ft project became Nassau County's first to use an innovative foundation based on an underground stormwater storage system.The experience validated Winthrop's decision to implement design assist, up-front payments to subcontractors for contributions during the planning stage of the $80-million project
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