Rick Cotton, executive director of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, hailed the transformation of tri-state airports as part of a construction boom keeping the industry at is busiest.
Sepaking at the 14th annual Anchin State of the Construction Industry Conference at The Harvard Club in Manhattan, Cotton said, “We are currently right in the middle of the largest construction boom in history,” said Cotton. “The built environment has been rejuvenated with innovative technologies and ideas. The future of the construction industry has never looked brighter.”
Cotton discussed plans to construct new facilities and a state-of-the-art Air Train to ease congested roadways at LaGuardia; more than one million square feet of renovations at Newark; and a $13 billion, four million-square-foot transformation at JFK.
The event also featured a panel moderated by Carlo Scissura, president and CEO of the New York Building Congress, and including Samara Barend, Senior Vice President – North America P3 Lead, AECOM; Hope Knight, President & CEO, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation; Ryan Marzullo, Managing Director – New York Design and Construction, Delta; and Michael Sweeney, Leader of the Eastern Region, HNTB.
Marzullo and Knight highlighted community involvement as part of the massive JFK renovation. So far, $1 billion of the budget has been allocated for community resources and space will be made for local businesses to actively participate in the project’s development.
With complex projects driving New York’s built environment forward, the presence of innovative and technology-focused jobsites is growing rapidly.
During the discussion, Barend supported the construction industry’s move toward adopting alternative delivery methods and P3 to push projects forward. In addition to streamlining scheduling and construction goals, Sweeney highlighted the growing importance of technology on jobsites and how drones can innovate and strengthen construction practices.
“It was exciting to speak alongside a diverse array of professionals from different sectors of the construction industry to share our thoughts and insights,” said Scissura. “This is a transformative time for New York’s built environment, making this event crucial for outlining future trends for renovations and expansions across the city.”
“Right now, the construction industry is filled with the sharpest and brightest minds who are disrupting the built environment,” said Knight. “Not only are construction professionals redefining what’s possible, they are actively uniting communities in the process.”
