CORNERSTONE - The Associated General Contractors of New York ...

AGC NYS CORNERSTONE Winter 2011
22
Industry Storm Response
By: Karen Morrison, AGC NYS Vice President of Transportation & Technical Services
In late August, much of New York
State was devastated by a onetwo
punch from Hurricane Irene
and Tropical Storm Lee. These storms
pounded the area with unprecedented
rainfall and left roads, bridges and canals damaged and out
of service. Loss of infrastructure and property was huge and
in many communities the impact will be permanent.
Facing widespread road closures and disruption, New York
State and the construction industry jumped into action. When
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo called for a rapid response,
the NY State agencies and construction industry delivered.
During the Emergency Declaration, the NYS Department
of Environmental Conservation and the Adirondack
Park Agency each
waived some permit requirements
thus allowing work to
begin immediately on the waterways
and roadway washouts.
NYSDEC alone issued over
3,000 permits in 30 days time
to expedite the response. Best
Value, Design-Build and standard
Design-Bid-Build methods
were used to let nineteen projects
during the weeks following
the storms. Additionally, existing
Emergency Stand-by and Job
Order Contractors were called in
within 24 hours of the events to
clear roads and stabilize sites.
Nearly 400 Road Segments and One Third of the Canal
System Incapacitated
“The two storms wreaked havoc on our transportation system,
closing nearly 400 roads and bridges and disrupting
rail and air travel across 36 counties,” NYSDOT Commissioner
Joan McDonald said. “Thanks to Governor Cuomo’s
leadership, DOT’s proactive response and the great work
of our construction industry partners, most of New York’s
roads and bridges were quickly reopened to traffic. It was
a tremendous effort — New Yorkers helping each other and
demonstrating the true meaning of serving the public.”
When Hurricane Irene struck on Aug. 28 and 29, it closed
nearly 200 roads and bridges on the state highway system.
Just as most of New York’s transportation infrastructure
was getting back to normal, Tropical Storm Lee slammed
the state with winds and rain on Sept. 8 and 9. The result
was the closure of 37 bridges and 181 road segments total-
ing approximately 145 miles of impassable roads. Within
only 9 days, NYSDOT and the emergency contractors had
reopened all but eight bridges and 15 road segments, leaving
approximately 20 miles of impassable roads.
The two storms, plus a tornado, left ten of the locks on the
Erie Canal system closed; six of these suffered extensive
structural and erosion damage to movable dams and lock
structures from Lock E-8 through Lock E-13. Before full
navigation can be operational, the Erie Canal will be dredged
from Lock E-8 through Lock E-14 due to the significant deposits
of river stone and sediments.
The Thruway suffered damage as well. Erosion damage
at multiple locations throughout
the New York and Albany
Divisions temporarily closed
segments and restricted travel.
The most extensive damage
was at the bridge over Route
5S in Montgomery County
where the substructure fill was
eroded away by the Schoharie
Creek flows that had jumped
course. Workers were able to
stabilize the substructure by
accessing from the top and
then completing work below.
In addition to the instant
response by over 250 Thruway employees
from New York, Albany and Syracuse Divisions and
over 200 Canal employees from Albany and Syracuse Divisions,
the Thruway activated nine contractors to begin immediate
efforts to repair the eroded canal walls and reroute the
Mohawk River back into its channel and reopen and restore
the damage on the Thruway itself. Hundreds of thousands
of tons of material have already been trucked and placed
so that the canal can reopen for a two week period allowing
stranded vessels to continue their trip east before winter
shutdown. All segments of the Thruway are now opened and
the last slide will be repaired upon award of an emergency
contract which was let in November. “A Herculean effort
while maintaining a safe travel way and safe work areas.”
The Numbers
“With Governor Cuomo leading the charge, the state was
able to preposition people and equipment so that they could
respond quickly once the storms moved out,” Commissioner
McDonald said. “When the rain and wind subsided, State
workers and highway construction contractors answered the