The city of Perth Amboy, N.J., has agreed to spend $5.4 million to repair, upgrade and expand its combined sewer system and pay a $17,000 penalty as part of an EPA settlement for Clean Water Act violations. Under the agreement signed June 6 in federal court, the city must reduce the amount of sewage and other pollutants that flow out of 16 combined sewer points into the Raritan and Arthur Kill rivers. The consent decree is pending a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. Photo by Dr. Wansoo Im for IMRivers.org The city aims to reduce sewage and
If New York City’s East River bridges were on a Monopoly board, the Queensboro, Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges would be akin to landing on "Free Parking" because they are not tolled crossings. Photo Courtesy of Mary Servatius Tall Order? If the plan were approved, the hefty tolls over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge would be cut by $5 each way. That is "just insane," says Samuel Schwartz, a former NYC deputy transportation commissioner also known as "Gridlock Sam." Since major highways lead to the East River’s toll crossings, scores of drivers—including truckers—transition to city streets to get to the free bridges.
Most of New England's construction and demolition (C&D) waste is landfill-bound, and that's a problem for states as well as contractors. Given the limited amount of landfill space and general public opposition to new landfill development, some states have taken matters into their own hands by banning landfill disposal and incineration and/or imposing other restrictions on C&D debris. Related Links: ENR New York More ENR New York Project Stories The issue is a headache for many of the region's contractors, who ultimately pay to have their waste hauled to out-of-state landfills. But the owners of a new C&D waste-fueled energy
A 28-year-old construction worker fell about three stories to his death May 17th from scaffolding on an apartment building in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. The worker, identified as Adrien Zamora, appears to have been doing facade restoration work “when he lost his footing and fell” from the scaffolding installed at 450 Broome St., says a spokeswoman at the Dept. of Buildings, which is investigating the incident along with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). It was the worker’s first day on the job. “The site had all the necessary permits,” the DOB spokeswoman says. The agency has had two complaints
The Dept. of Buildings has issued stop work orders at a Manhattan apartment building where a construction worker fell to his death and has cited the general contractor for violations. The worker, identified as Adrien Zamora, apparently lost his footing and fell from scaffolding while doing façade work at 450 Broome St. in SoHo on May 17th, DOB says. The violations issued May 18th to the GC, Brasal Construction Corp., New York, include “failure to protect all persons and parties affected by construction operations” and “building the scaffolding contrary to approved plans,” a DOB spokeswoman says. She did not supply
At a recent panel discussion geared toward women, most of the attendees under 35 years old raised their hands when they specifically were asked if they feel they have the same opportunities in industry as men. The enthusiastic response led one panelist to say, “the game is changing,” but not long afterward an audience member expressed frustration over management not viewing her as equal to the men she works with. That led some audience members to nod their heads in agreement, with one quietly saying “there’s still a glass ceiling.” Photo by Joanna Dela Rosa One way to handle an
About 41% of New York State’s 11,600 miles of high-voltage transmission lines are so old that they will need to be replaced during the next 30 years at a cost of more than $25 billion, according to a new study by an electric utility group. The study, the second phase of a long-term NYS transmission system assessment, identifies another $2.5 billion worth of incremental upgrades to existing lines and construction of new lines. The assessment includes current and future infrastructure demands and suggestions to improve the system’s reliability. The study outlines several possible fixes to various parts of the transmission
The design-build team for the $5.2-billion Tappan Zee bridge replacement project will be chosen this summer, said Thomas Madison, executive director of the NYS Thruway Authority. Transportation officials hope that the selected team, which will be chosen from four that were shortlisted on Feb. 7, will start construction by year-end, said Madison, who spoke at a lecture sponsored by The Moles on May 2. Photo Courtesy of NYS Thruway Authority Other upcoming deadlines include completion in August of an extensive environmental review that was issued concurrently with the RFP for design and construction.Plans call for the new bridge, which will
In the renewable energy world, the 115-kilowatt solar array under construction on the roof of Bedminster, N.J.'s Public Works building is nothing special. But when viewed with 37 other mostly small-scale installations across northern Somerset County that have pooled resources to afford solar installations, Bedminster is part of a veritable 7-megawatt powerhouse. Related Links: ENR New York Each individual installation contributes to that powerhouse under a roughly $35-million county initiative to install rooftop, ground mount or canopy solar panels on government buildings and schools that are structurally sound enough to support them. Morris County devised the aggregated-site solar program, backed
As the economy began a slow recovery last year, design firms held on for a long ride. Construction budgets and jobs were still being slashed and projects delayed, although not to the same degree as in 2010. While the ride ahead appears to be a lot less bumpy, design professionals say they are hanging on and are preparing for a long gradual recovery until activity returns to pre-recession levels. Related Links: Public Projects Helped Firms Stay Stable In 2010 "The positive thing about 2011 was stability as compared with 2010, but, even so, there was no major growth," says Ira