Panel Sees N.Y.C. Entering Long Expansion

With several large projects under way, and more looming, a panel delves into nagging concerns of growth. Also, N.Y.C.’s buildings department pilots paperless permitting.

Panel Explores Boomtime Concerns

Though it was planned to discuss the next century of New York City’s infrastructure improvements, a recent panel discussion sponsored by the Greater New York Construction User Council turned into a veritable “State of the Industry” analysis that focused heavily on the construction sector’s ability to handle the high volume of anticipated projects over the next 20 years.

A recent panel discussion on New York’s infrastructure needs for the next century featured (from left) Tom Clancy as moderator; Rohit Aggarwala; Mysore Nagaraja; and Douglas Currey.

The event entitled, “New York City Infrastructure: The Next 100 Years” featured a panel of Mysore Nagaraja, president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Capital Construction Company; Rohit Aggarwala, director of the N.Y.C. Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability; and Doug Currey, regional director of the New York State Department of Transportation.

While they originally planned to focus on upcoming projects such as a new $7.4 billion Hudson River passenger rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey, a new Tappan Zee Bridge between New York’s Rockland and Westchester counties, and the $3.8 billion first leg of the Second Avenue Subway line that broke ground in April in Manhattan, the conversation quickly turned to the current climate of the industry, and specifically, the effects that a slew of megaprojects on the horizon may have on the region.

Tom Clancy, a URS Corp. vice president who moderated the discussion, said New York is currently going through a “tale of two cities.”

“On one side, we’re seeing an unprecedented era of construction,” he added. “There are many major projects going on. In those terms, it’s certainly the best of times.”

But shortages in labor and management resources, as well as reduced competition from the unprecedented amount of work already under way and set to start, could turn this boom market into a headache.

“We see projects where we think we’ll see a lot of bids, and we’ll see just one bid or two bids, sometimes even no bids,” Clancy added. “So, on that side, it could be considered the worst of times.”

Part of the reason for the volume of construction is that New York is laying the groundwork to accommodate a growing population base, something it hasn’t done in 50 years, said Aggarwala, whose department worked with N.Y.C. Mayor Michael Bloomberg to develop the recently released PlaNYC blueprint to create a “sustainable city.” Municipal officials are predicting that New York City will add 200,000 residents by 2010, and will eclipse 9 million by 2030.

“Something is different right now,” Aggarwala said. “Revitalizing the neighborhoods, that’s over. We have to make sure we’re geared up for a long-term expansion.”

Nagaraja said that for the city to keep up with all of the long-range projects without experiencing a major management and labor shortage, contractors should open up to the idea of joint-venturing, even if it means going outside of the region.

“Everyone wants to make all the profit, so there’s some resistance to this,” he said. “But we’re faced with a dilemma: Do we want this work to go away or do we want to work smart? Thinking globally needs to become a reality.”

Aggarwala said the construction industry needs to brace itself for what is going to be a trying – but satisfying – three decades to come.

DOB Launches Paperless System

The New York City Department of Buildings recently launched a new document management plan, choosing Staten Island as the first borough to implement what officials hope will be a nearly paperless system for the permit application process.

The Building Scan and Capture Application Network should allow for easier processing, storage, and retrieval of any document associated with construction permits and applications.

The system aims to increase access to job filings and reduce processing time and storage requirements. According to statistics provided by the agency, more than 300,000 pages of paper forms and applications come to the agency from filers in the five boroughs each year. B-SCAN will allow the contents of any job folder to be accessed online and will allow department staff to monitor construction applications electronically.

Industrial Facility to Expand Upstate

The Empire State Development Corporation recently announced that Praxair, a manufacturer and distributor of industrial gases based in Danbury, Conn., plans to invest $10 million to expand its existing Niagara Falls facility.

The expansion space, expected to be ready for production in the first quarter of 2008, will increase the plant’s bulk atmospheric liquid production capacity by 350 tons per day.