Some homeowners in New York state, New York City and New Jersey that were hit hard by Superstorm Sandy have a few options. These include rebuilding, which in some cases will require homes to be elevated above flood levels, or accepting a government buyout offer. Photo by Sharon Karr/FEMA Moving up: Some homeowners already have decided to stay put and are elevating their homes, like this one in Ortley Beach, N.J. Related Links: ENR New York More ENR New York Projects There are three separate buyout plans pending—one each from New Jersey, New York state and New York City. Each
Seven months after last October's Superstorm Sandy drowned low-lying zones in the New York metropolitan area and hobbled different parts of the region for days, weeks or months, government advisers and industry groups continue to clamor for a pan-regional "resiliency czar" to coordinate efforts—at all levels of government—to boost the region's disaster resistance. Related Links: New York Building Congress AIANY The groups are promoting grand and small plans to harden, replace or construct communities to better weather floods. Most of their recommended changes are not new concepts. The simpler ones are happening."The good news is that there is no lack
The impact of Superstorm Sandy on the region's power, transportation and institutional infrastructure was clearly evident to millions of customers who suffered outages, delays and dislocations. The hurricane's effect on regional environmental infrastructure—drinking water and wastewater treatment plants—was less obvious to most people but amplified their vulnerability to wind and water threats. Related Links: ENR New York Engineering News Record Sandy caused 11 billion gallons of partially treated and untreated sewage to flow from plants flooded by storm surges or rain into waterways in Washington, D.C., and eight East Coast states last October, according to a report by Climate Central,
The Louis Berger Group, New York, has hired Kirit Mevawala as director of rail and transit. He will be based in the company's Morristown, N.J., headquarters and serve as project manager for the Northeast Corridor Maglev project and support other rail and transit initiatives. Mevawala Related Links: ENR New York ENR Featured People LeChase Construction Services LLC, Rochester, N.Y., has named H. Jessie Brewer vice president. He will report to Kyle L. Sayers, executive vice president.Lehrer LLC, New York, has appointed Norbert W. Young as executive vice president.The LiRo Group, New York, has hired Michael Rennard as head of its
Tristate Photo By Sue Pearsall Working Together: Some New Jersey union contractors welcome more DOL prevailing wage inspections. Related Links: ENR New York ENR New York Featured News Will Sandy Work Trigger More DOL Site Visits? The New York state Dept. of Labor (DOL) says it has no specific plans related to ramping up inspection activities this fall. But that does not convince 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 especially be the case beginning in late summer or early
Officials in beachfront towns from Cape May on the Jersey Shore to Montauk on Long Island have been celebrating the return of their beaches and boardwalks in time for the start of summer this month. But there is still much work left to do to repair Superstorm Sandy's damage along the coastline and to harden defenses for future storms. There is even more debate on what are the best long-term protections and who will pay for them. Related Links: ENR New York More ENR New York Projects Pushing SandAs part of its traditional mission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Now that proposed Superstorm Sandy-triggered changes to New York City zoning are out for public review, building owners, designers and contractors are eagerly awaiting the second piece of the post-Sandy regulation puzzle: proposed modifications to the city's building code. The adjustments to the two sets of regulations should go a long way toward aiding the design and construction of buildings that are safer and more resilient when exposed to floods and other major climate-related events, says Robert D. LiMandri, New York City's commissioner of buildings. Drawing Courtesy of the New York City Dept. of City Planning Possible Modification: Proposed rules
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 Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, the prestigious art, architecture and engineering college, will end its long history of free tuition, starting with the 2014 freshman class, the Manhattan-based school said on April 26. To keep the college from closing one or more of its three schools, incoming students will cover 50% of tuition. Current students and those entering this fall will be exempt; last year, graduate students began paying tuition.The college faces a $12-million annual deficit, even after leasing a former engineering-building site for a mixed-use tower, now nearly complete. Previously, scholarships covered tuition costs.“The
Private sector construction employment in New York City rose 2.4% last year to an average of 114,875, but wages remained flat, according to a recent New York Building Congress (NYBC) study based on New York State Dept. of Labor employment statistics. Photo by Sue Pearsall Moving Up: Private sector is expected to continue its gradual climb. Workers earned an average of $51,060 in the first nine months of 2012, the latest period for which numbers were available, compared with $50,089 for the same prior-year period and $49,224 for the same period in 2010.“While the relative stagnation in 2012 wages is
RSS
