Staten Island Ferry Flood Protection
UrbanNY provided survey, inspection, and design services to develop a comprehensive flood protection system that maintained access and sight lines critical to the Staten Island Ferry terminal operations. The need to keep open traffic lanes and sight lines to the bridge of each ferry precluded the use of a contiguous permanent flood wall. After thorough surveys and discussions with terminal personnel, the design team implemented a combination of permanent, semi-transparent, semi-deployable, and fully deployable flood walls to protect the terminals. UrbanNY-developed flood design criteria were based on a statistical risk analysis of wave heights, and these criteria were used to design structural and foundation details for the different wall types.
Early concept designs revealed that meeting all the design criteria with traditional permanent flood walls would lead to large, expensive walls that could interfere with terminal operations. Early in the project, Urban developed hybrid concepts so that the NYCDOT could approve modified design criteria to reduce costs and footprint without impacting the project schedule. The project cost was $50 million.
UrbanNY’s engineering staff analyzed and summarized resilience concepts into bridging documents for the design-build procurement. The design criteria were established to protect the Staten Island Ferry from improper substitutions that might erode the quality of the work. Construction quality is always a primary objective of Staten Island Ferry Terminal projects.
New York City Department of Transportation
Staten Island Ferry Flood Protection
Recent Projects
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New York, NY
Battery Park City Authority (BPCA)Read more: Construction Management Services for Tribeca Bridge PaintingThe Tribeca Bridge, which crosses the West Side Highway near Chambers Street, in Manhattan, was repainted — the first repainting since the bridge’s construction in 1992. The bridge connects directly to Stuyvesant High School, one of the most elite public high schools in the country. The $2.3 million project was completed ahead of schedule and within budget, without safety incidents, claims, or change orders.
Urban provided construction management services for the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA). We monitored the work of up to three contractors and supervised a field inspection subconsultant. Project challenges included painting in winter weather conditions; maintaining safe access for Stuyvesant High School students; and maintaining traffic over the 11-lane West Side Highway. To expedite the project despite winter conditions, the contractor contained and heated the entire bridge. Traffic control involved night time alternating single and double lane closures to install and remove the containment platform.
In addition to construction management, Urban provided bridge safety inspection services, after a hole was discovered in a bridge beam. Our bridge inspectors provided BPCA a report and recommendations to repair the hole. We also worked closely with the contractor to respond to student and teacher concerns about paint fumes, hiring an environmental firm to verify that the air quality inside the school was safe.
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Manhattan, NY
NYC Department of Design and ConstructionRead more: Regents Family Center Building Envelope RehabilitationThe Regents Family Center is a 100-year-old,18-story former hotel building located at 2720 Broadway. It is a multi-service center providing NYC Department of Homeless Services’ (NYCDHS) clients with intake, assessment, and shelter services for families in need.
Urban Engineers of New York (UrbanNY) serves as the Construction Manager (CM) for this $12 million project, which supports the NYC Department of Design and Construction (NYCDDC) and this NYCDHS facility. As the CM for the NYCDDC, UrbanNY has oversight of the prime contractor performing the construction. UrbanNY communicates and coordinates with several stakeholders, including our direct client, NYCDDC; the project client, NYCDHS; the sponsor agency, which provides client services and building maintenance for NYCDHS; the prime contractor; the design professionals; and an independent third-party Special Inspections agency.
UrbanNY staff are located on site performing a variety of construction management services, including chairing and conducting bi-weekly progress meetings, weekly workshop meetings, and as-needed special issue meetings.
UrbanNY monitors and enforces the project site safety program, conducts quality assurance monitoring, reviews project schedules, and performs ongoing construction inspections to ensure work complies with specifications.
UrbanNY produces daily, bi-weekly, and monthly progress reports.
UrbanNY reviews, approves, and processes the contractor’s payment requisitions by initiating them in the online NYCDDC Anywhere Project Development Management System (PDMS). UrbanNY also reviews, negotiates, and processes the contractor’s change orders through initiation into the online PDMS.
UrbanNY reviews and coordinates contractor submittals with design professionals, including all contractor submittals such as shop drawings, specifications, RFIs, and sample material submissions. The team tracks all construction permits and ensures the submission of required contractor documents and credentials.
UrbanNY also performs specialized administrative tasks such as preparation of capital funds contingency estimates for additional SOW, issues field order directives, coordinates with the U.S. Postal Service and privately owned neighboring buildings in the management and use of license access agreements, develops special reports for NYCDDC use with community relations and NY press inquiries, and practices sensitivity and responsiveness to local community and elected representatives’ concerns.
The Regents Family Center Building Envelope Rehabilitation project scope of work includes:
- Facade Restoration: High-quality rehabilitation and replication of ornamental terra cotta, stone, and metal elements, including replacement of cracked terra cotta with architectural cast stone.
- Parapet Reconstruction: Complete rebuild of the ornate masonry parapet at the 16th-floor setback, including structural steel spandrel replacement and concrete slab repairs.
- Stucco Replacement: Removal of deteriorated stucco and application of new historically accurate stucco across the entire east façade.
- Copper Mansard Roof: Installation of a new copper roof over the 17th and 18th floors, including copper gutters and leaders, with 25 recessed and dormered windows on Broadway and 104th Street elevations.
- Roofing Systems: Replacement of three roofing systems—main roof, 16th-floor setback roof, and rear first-floor roof—with insulated, fluid-applied membranes, new roof drains, and safety railings at parapets.
- Masonry Repairs: Includes mortar removal and re-pointing, face-brick and masonry unit replacement, cast stone windowsill replacement, corner and control joint reconstruction, and partial concrete slab rebuilds.
- Lintel Refurbishment: Restoration of existing steel lintels and installation of new hung lintels with welded spandrels, flashing, reinforced veneer brick, and protective coatings on exposed steel.
- Sealant Replacement: New sealants at all window perimeters and lintel interfaces.
- Hazardous Material Abatement: Removal of asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and lead-based paint (LBP).
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Queens, NY
Port Authority of NY and NJRead more: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) RedevelopmentThe Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has undertaken the historic $19 billion transformation of John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) into a world-class airport. The public/private redevelopment program to build a new JFK includes two giant new terminals across five previous terminal sites, expansion and modernization of existing terminals, streamlined roadways, popular local retail and dining, and stunning New York artwork. Handling more than 62 million passengers a year, JFK is the nation’s busiest airport for international travel and is an indispensable part of global travel and the region’s economy.
The JFK Redevelopment Program will transform JFK into a modern 21st-century airport. The transformation will create a unified terminal layout, world-class facilities, centralized ground transportation options, expanded taxiways and gate capacity, and state-of-the-art security. Key program components for this design-bid-build and design-build via TAA include a new Terminal 1 and the redevelopment of Terminals 4, 6, and 8. The project also includes improved utility infrastructure, roadways, a parking garage, with an elevated pedestrian bridge connecting to the New Terminal One.
The PANYNJ selected UrbanNY to provide construction management, contract administration, inspections, project controls, document management, cost estimating, PACC and change order preparation, construction work in place verification, construction invoice approvals, staff budgeting, construction cash forecasts, construction and financial progress monitoring and reporting, BIM technology coordination and oversight, staging, and logistics.
