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,
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
A s Superstorm Sandy bore down on the New Jersey coast last fall, officials at the Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin huddled to figure out what to do. Nor'easters had historically pummeled the low-lying area laced with inlets, and so the hospital was taking the storm seriously. To compound problems, Southern Ocean was nearing the end of the first phase of a two-phase project to build a new emergency department (ED) and renovate its existing ED structure. The 32,500-sq-ft project would more than triple the ED's size and nearly double the hospital's patient rooms to 42. Related Links: ENR
Squeezed between towers and tunnels under construction, and with only two street access points, crews are digging away at the third and final phase of the now popular High Line on the West Side of Manhattan. While many questions loom regarding coordination among multiple other parties and future funding for some aspects of work, High Line participants are benefiting from lessons learned from the previous phases and public embrace of the project. Related Links: ENR New York More ENR New York Projects When construction on the first two sections of the elevated High Line park began in 2006, New York
From Hudson Yards' long-awaited $843-million first building to several $150-million-plus towers, the tristate region's ranking of the top 25 projects to break ground last year show that building tall and building big is back. The residential sector, in particular, dominates tower construction on the list, with most buildings advertised as luxury apartments and condos in prime New York City locations. Related Links: This Year's Top Starts Rankings Top Starts of 2011 Top Starts of 2010 Despite such gains, the aggregated total contract value of the largest 25 starts is about $7.9 billion, even with the prior year's level, which was
A college campus is supposed to be a place where students can lose themselves in thought, ensconced in an academic bubble as they stroll to and from class. But at New Jersey's Montclair State University, those reveries were threatened with disruption starting last summer by a $92-million project to upgrade an aging power and thermal plant that involved digging a large and deep trench through the heart of the campus. Related Links: Engineering News Record More ENR New York Projects The trench, which will carry steam and water pipes, measures 15 ft across and up to 20 ft deep in
The historic West Point Military Academy has a long history of teaching the sciences, which are required courses for all graduating cadets. But while the study of biology, chemistry and physics has evolved since 1802, when the West Point, N.Y.-based school was built, the school's neo-Gothic structures that house those disciplines have not—at least, not enough to support the advanced research occurring within these disciplines. The structures are, as one science professor describes them, "cramped and old." Related Links: ENR New York More ENR New York Projects The school has set out to change that with a two-phase, seven-year, interior-only
Besides the many residences and businesses damaged or destroyed in Superstorm Sandy's wake, several projects that ENR New York covered earlier this year were also affected. These include projects in or near the hardest-hit regions, including Long Beach, N.Y.; New York City; and the New Jersey coast. Related Links: ENR New York More ENR New York Projects The Oct. 29th storm dealt a devastating blow to Long Island's barrier island of Long Beach, where severe flooding and high winds took out power and severely damaged or destroyed homes and infrastructure. The island is also home to Long Beach High School,