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From tunnels to railways and airports, New York City is going through a complete transformation of its transport infrastructure.
This review includes the $ 16 billion gateway program, the Interborough Express project of $ 5.5 billion, the redevelopment of $ 7 billion Penn Station and other $ 1 billion investments at the city’s three main airports. The total dollar figures behind these projects are impressive, and they are also the efforts during the construction phase.
“There is an incredible construction associated with this,” said Aryeh Lemberger, a senior vice president of the Montreal WSP contractor during a New York year’s conference in March. “It will create many opportunities for construction management professionals. There will certainly be involved. So it is a change of game in so many different ways.”
The execution of commercial construction projects of several dollars in one of the most densely populated regions in the country requires more than money: it requires coordination of interested parties, creative recruitment and non -stop operations, according to the event panelists.
However, this is never more evident than during the construction of the Gateway program, a railway line extending between New Jersey and New York, said Priya Jain, president of the Americas of Mace, a London building consulting firm selected as one of the project delivery partners.
“It’s not just about building this,” said Jain. “When you go through design approvals, the environment [review]And then look at the communities that are affected, this is not something you can do at night. “”
The central piece is a new tunnel under the Hudson River, which will end with the train capacity between New Jersey and Manhattan.
The centenary tunnel, which suffered severe damage during the Superstorm Sandy, will be removed offline for a complete rehabilitation. Combined, the two-tunnel system will modernize the northeastern hallway, a stretch of Washington, DC, in Boston.
But the technical feat is just half the story, Jain said. The Gateway program also reflects the challenge of managing complex megaprojectes among jurisdictions.
“This job is not only about building a new tunnel, but it is also about rehabilitating the original tunnel,” said Jain. “We are taking advantage of many local companies. From a minority and disadvantaged business perspective, approximately 25%, this is where we are in a tendency right now.”
These parties include Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, New York’s Port Authority and New Jersey, New York Dot and local communities. This mixture of interested parties requires careful programming, such as utility transfers and environmental permission.
Aligning these interests is as important as putting the tracks, Jain said.
A joint company between the contractors of Los Angeles Frontier-Kemper and his parent company, Tutor Perini, recently won a $ 1.18 billion design design contract to build a critical section of the project.
City stations
While the Gateway program addresses regional connectivity, Interborough Express focuses exclusively on the needs of New York’s foreign districts. Known as IBX, the Light Railway project will link the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens, which currently do not have efficient traffic options on the east-west, according to WSP, the firm chosen as Environmental Review Consultant For the project.
“It would be a first of its kind,” said Lemberger. “I would be changing the game because I would connect Brooklyn and Queens without having to go through Manhattan to arrive.”
To do it, the project plans to re -collect a underused railway railway that is already reduced through Brooklyn and Queens. Once taken for industrial logistics, this hallway will soon become a focal point for the IBX project.
This will allow the Metropolitan Transport Authority to provide a service of about 900,000 residents without the mass cost of the new land acquisition or the underground tunnel work, said George Guillaume, director of Aecom’s senior aviation, a contractor based in Dallas.
“When you talk about transformative projects for New York, it is probably on top of the list,” said Guillaume. “What IBX will do is that it will transform the life of the Brooklyn sections and the queens that are underlined in terms of mass traffic.”
No general contractor for IBX has yet been selected, although the MTA issued a Request for proposals By the end of 2024.
Along with IBX, which expands the city’s light railway footprint, another megaproject is remodeling the nucleus in the middle of Manhattan.
Penn Station, criticized for his packed and confused disposition, is also experiencing construction work, Lemberger said. The Plan includes extended contests, more natural light, improved accessibility, modernized air conditioning systems and a 30% increase in access to the platform with elevators, mechanical scales and stairs.
“If you want to increase the height of the roof, for example, it is a monumental company, because there is a structure that must be treated and you cannot close Penn Station to do it,” said Lemberger.
As the main axis for Amtrak, NJ Transit and Long Island Rail Road, the everyday operations of the station are constantly moving. This means that teams need to sequence work precisely to avoid interruptions, coordinating with multiple transport authorities that share the supervision of the installation.
“You have to face it, keeping it in motion, circulating, working at the same time,” said LEMBBERGER. “It’s a monumental challenge.”
Review of airports
Guillaume said this same balance at the region’s airports.
For example, the Reconstruction of $ 8 billion at Laguardia Airport It included completely new terminals, reconfigured taxi roads and sustainable land service systems, while flights continued. The terminals C and D now have 37 doors compatible with modern aircraft, electric vehicle infrastructure and a more efficient design for passengers, said Guillaume.
This success laid the foundations for JFK Airport Redeveloped $ 19 billion. This project includes several delivery models, such as public-private collaborations and design design contracts, to accommodate different terminals and parts interested air. The terminal One and the Six Terminal advance each of the custom contracting plans designed to minimize the general delays.
“I think one of the things we need to look at as an industry is” What are the recruitment models we will use? “Jain said. It is about getting an operating airport or it is a tunnel or station. This is the next piece that we have to see from the point of view of the industry. What is the evolution of delivery?”
Into Newark Liberty InternationalAirport updates include a new terminal A, a modern Airtrain cable system and Ongoing plans for terminal B. The space restrictions on the site have forced teams to creatively develop the construction, while integrating improvements to roads and passenger flow.
“The collaboration that must continue, and the management of interest groups, is immense,” said Jain. “I do not say that this work is not technically difficult, it will be absolutely difficult technically. But gathering everyone, going in the same direction and giving a result, it is something we all focus on.”
