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Reports from key industry events [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on reactions by several New York based government agencies, on idea of ban of hydraulic fracking proposed by New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo. Topics discussed include review on Cuomo's idea by New York Department of Health, research on high-volume fracking by New York Department of Environmental Conservation and views of Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch organization, against the proposal.

The article discusses the architectural design of the residential tower under construction in Manhattan, New York, designed by Goldstein Hill & West Architects LLC.

Amid many sectors, ofice takes the top spot [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the growth in the power and higher education sectors is helping electrical contractor O'Connell Electric Co. to expand its business in New York. Topics include the growth in the regional revenue of the company in 2013, its involvement in projects that include the new School of Law building at Syracuse University and the University of Buffalo Science Center, and views of its chief executive officer (CEO) Victor E. Salerno regarding acquisition of a contractor in Albany.

The article focuses on the long-term resiliency projects being planned and funded in New York and New Jersey following Superstorm Sandy. Topics covered include the submission by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of applications under a resiliency program, the development of solutions to prevent flooding at entry points in vulnerable areas and the proposed defense strategy of New York City Transit that features water exclusion and asset protection.

The article announces appointments in the New York construction sector including Paula Benway as vice president at the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Michael Petrisko as chief information officer at Hill International Inc. and Robert Keimig as sales vice president at the Lighting Quotient.

The article discusses the impact of the overall decline in public works in 2013 to the design firms in New York. Topics discussed include numerous multi-year transportation projects and works related to Superstorm Sandy recovery are expected to boost demand for design services in the sector and American Institute of Architects (AIA) treasurer Mark Regulinski's comment on the continuous hesitancy and uncertainty which affected the architecture, construction and engineering sectors.

The article reports that work will start to repair both Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission's (PVSC) effluent pumping station and wet weather pumping station at the Newark, New Jersey water treatment plant this spring 2014. The work is described as a 21.67 million U.S. dollar design-bid-build project that includes replacing a substation at the plant's effluent pumping station. It notes that the team consists of general contractor Tomar Construction and engineering firm AECOM.

The article reports on the 35.7 million U.S. dollar project to build three electrical unit substations at the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant in Nassau County, New York that is set to begin in May 2014. It notes that the design-bid-build project will also include adding 4.16 kilovolt switchgear and transformers and raising electrical equipment up to the 500-year flood level with target completion in March 2016. The project is headed by the joint venture team of Hazen & Sawyer and Arcadis U.S.

The article features New York's Top 20 Under 40, as collated by the "Engineering News-Record (ENR) journal. The list includes Roland Abi Nader of the engineering consultancy AECOM, Robert Badenich of the multimedia consultancy Shen Milsom & Wilke, and Marnie A. Bell of the environmental engineering firm ARCADIS U.S. Inc. It also includes Sarah Berman of the urban planning firm The Berman Group Inc., and Becky Button of the interior design firm Gensler.

The article focuses on New York-based family-owned construction firm Gilbane Inc. Topics discussed include the firm's establishment in 1873, its ranking among the top ten regional contractors in "ENR New York" magazine's annual ranking of firms by regional revenue, and its financial performance in 2013. Also mentioned are Gilbane's involvement in New York City's Rapid Repairs Program after superstorm Sandy and subsidiaries Gilbane Building and Gilbane Development.

The article offers information on major bridge investment projects in New York City. It mentions that some of the biggest bridges of the tristate are receiving private investment such as the $1.5-billion Goethals Bridge replacement. It notes that the $1-billion restoration of the George Washington Bridge, connecting Manhattan and Fort Lee, New Jersey, includes a $199-million replacement of upper-level structural steel deck.

The article focuses on the $450-million expansion of Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut. It states that the project will have added 641,463 square feet to the hospital upon completion in the summer of 2016. It says that the work includes additional patient care units with centralized nurses stations and patient care units with private bathrooms for flexible care delivery as well as two family lounges for every floor.

The article reports on the upgrading of pipes at Penn South's 10 buildings in Manhattan, New York City. A team of more than 250 contractors is expected to replace about two miles of pipe in each of the buildings. It reveals that the buildings have incurred significant damage from leaky pipes. The pipe replacement project is led by mechanical contractor FW Sims.

The article explores the ways subcontractors was able to survive the downturn in the housing and construction market. Topics discussed include the opportunity seen by Zach McGuire of MasTec Inc. in satellite television installation and service upgrades, the potential of the increasing demand for microgrids to be a big business for subcontractors and the work they have done in the transportation sector.

The article focuses on Karen Arpino-Shaffer, a transportation engineer for the construction industry firm Gilbane Building Co., discussing her career as one of the relatively few women in that industry.

The article discusses a grand-jury report that suggests that executives from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission such as the executive Joseph Brimmeier have selected engineers and contractors based on political contributions and gifts, violating Pennsylvania ethics laws.

The article reports that, as of April 2013, the U.S. bankruptcy judge Michael Kaplan has ruled that the engineering firm Birdsall Services Group can access state-seized funds to finance its operations and payroll despite charges filed against the company and several of its former executives.

The article examines the reaction of construction industry employees to the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) and other scanning systems to track them while on construction sites. The mixed reaction of employees to the use of RFID by the company Hunter Roberts Construction at a project in New York City is considered.

The article focuses on traffic management in Massachusetts (MA) during the demolition and reconstruction of bridges on Interstate 93. It states MA Department of Transportation Neil Boudreau utilized social media and message boards to inform drivers of road closures while traffic sensors monitored the volume and speed of traffic to encourage alternative routes if sustained speeds dropped under 30 miles per hours. It talks about the use of e-mail, text messages and Twitter in traffic management.

The article announces the 2012 winners of the issue's Best Projects construction competition, including the Best Project award to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's I-93 Fast 14 Rapid Bridge Replacement Project and the Best Safety award to the Public Service Enterprise Group's (PSEG's) New Haven, Connecticut Peaking Project.

The article announces the winners of the 2012 "ENR: Engineering News-Record" New York's Top 20 Under 40 competition, which acknowledges young professionals in New York's architecture, engineering, and construction industry, including Babak Bryan, Mike Elmendorf, and Nick Everett.

The article reports that a partnership between Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology was chosen to build an applied sciences campus on Roosevelt Island, New York City, for the Applied Sciences NYC initiative. The proposal includes facilities for interdisciplinary study in connective media, healthier lifestyles, and the built environment. The initiative was created to create jobs and raise revenue while making New York City a more competitive technological center.

The article reports on the refusal by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to block planned bridge toll increases across the Hudson River by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) as requested by the American Automobile Association (AAA). The DOT argued that it does not have authority over interstate bridge tolls under the 1987 U.S. Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act. AAA is also pursuing laws regarding the PANYNJ's uses of bridge toll revenues.

Concrete workers from locals 6A, 18A, and 20, including those working on the World Trade Center site and Weill Cornell Medical College research center, have returned to work after a three-day strike. The unions have agreed to extend their contract, which expired on July 29, to August 16. However, there is still no agreement on new terms, including a proposed 20% wage cut. An independent arbitrator has ruled that Concrete Workers District Council Local 16, another union group, violated a no-strike clause on four projects and ordered the workers back to these sites. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the indictments of New York City construction manager Lehr Construction Corp. and four of its executives as well as six area subcontractors and their owners in a contractor-bid inflation scheme. Lehr was indicted for corruption, fraud, grand larceny and money laundering. The indictments were part of a continuing crackdown on fraud in the city's interiors-renovation sector. Prosecutors claim that the scheme overcharged clients by 30 million U.S. dollars in the last 10 years.