By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

The Tappan Zee Bridge Project

As part of the design team for the Tappan Zee Bridge design-build project, KC provided design support services for this project including on the bridge approach, approach roadways, new maintenance access ramps connecting the Thruway mainline and River Road in Rockland County, associated adjustments to River Road, on- and off-ramp adjustments at Interchange 9, retaining walls and noise walls, drainage systems, stormwater treatment systems, signing and pavement markings, lighting, erosion control, slope stabilization and stormwater pollution prevention, and maintenance and protection of traffic.

KC provided design and construction support services.

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

Understanding Work Zone Traffic Control (WZTC)

When construction takes place near or on roadways, it can result in traffic delays and compromised safety of construction workers, motorists, and pedestrians. As a result of roadway construction, certain measures are enacted to facilitate a safe work area for workers, maintain and protect the flow of traffic, and complete necessary work on schedule.

Work zone traffic control (WZTC) was created with these factors in mind, providing construction workers with the knowledge they need to maintain a safe work environment while ensuring an organized flow of traffic. WZTC protocols seek to mitigate the effects of construction on those directly affected by factors such as lane closures or detours.

Motorists should be alert to changing traffic patterns and possible work zones that may crop up along the road.

The typical WZTC area consists of four components:

  1. The advance warning area is the point where motorists are alerted to upcoming road work, usually through the use of road signs, electronic signboards, and flags.
  2. The transition area is the area motorists are guided to transition out of their normal traffic pattern to the new, temporary traffic detour. This can be done with the use of flaggers, traffic cones, and signs.
  3. The activity area is where the actual road work is being conducted.
  4. The termination area is the point where traffic is allowed to return to its normal pattern.

While every municipality has the ability to mandate or adopt their own WZTC policies, they must remain consistent with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), set in place as a result of the New York State Vehicle & Traffic Law.

At KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC), our field staff are well-versed in WZTC operations and regularly apply said knowledge when providing a variety of services to our clients.

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • • • 0 Comments

Climate Change and Construction

With global temperatures, sea levels, and extreme weather events on the rise, climate change remains a topical and, more recently, contentious subject.

What does climate change have to do with the construction industry? When there is already an incredibly small margin for error on a construction site, climate change could mean everything.

Safety is the leading concern of the construction industry when it comes to climate change. Adverse weather conditions like excessive rain, snow, wind, heat, or cold can significantly reduce safe working conditions. The result? Severe injuries from slips, falls, electrocution, heat exhaustion, and more.

While worksite safety can be entirely compromised by changes in climate, so too can building materials. As temperatures rise, the integrity of materials like wood and concrete are put at risk. Not only that, but climate change increases the need for new, innovative, and potentially costly building techniques to protect existing infrastructure from severe weather conditions.

Along with the physical constraints of climate change on the construction industry, there is also the possibility for monetary setbacks. According to Construction Business Owner, economists estimate that weather-related incidents cost the construction industry “$3.8 trillion a year in the United States.” With U.S. infrastructure spending already at a tremendous deficit, $3.8 trillion lost in profits only serves as an additional obstruction.

Rather than ascribe weather-related construction risks—such as worksite safety, deterioration of building materials, and profit loss—to an inevitable force majeure, experts suggest proactive implementation of risk management strategies.

Construction insurance, increased employee awareness, and acceptance of unpredictability may be the only ways to work through construction setbacks resulting from climate change.

By Evan Thomas COMPANY NEWSLETTERS • • • • • • • 0 Comments

June 2018 Company Newsletter

This June, we speak with Mayor Alexander of the Village of Wappingers Falls to discuss ten years of infrastructure revitalization. An employee interview, interesting statistics, and a host of other features within.

Download KC’s Company Newsletter – June 2018 edition to keep up with KC’s latest news!

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • 0 Comments

Estrada Road Hotel Project

In December 2014, AEONN, LLC proposed an 85-room hotel located on an 11.1-acre site at 100 Estrada Road in the Village of Woodbury. KC is preparing the site plan and all associated documents and studies for the proposed hotel.

In January 2016, the Planning Board made a negative SEQRA determination, and a public hearing on the revised site plan was conducted for the project.

The lot is situated on the south side of Estrada Road and borders the west side of the NYS Thruway (I-87). While Estrada Road is not a county road and is not maintained by the NYSDOT as a component of the state highway system, it was designed and constructed by the NYSDOT as a state highway and was eventually designated U.S. Route 6 and operated as part of the state highway system until 1972.

KC prepared a Long Form EAF for the project including Parts 1 and 2. As part of the preparation of Part 3 with the Planning Board, KC prepared several supplemental studies. A habitat assessment was performed and provided to NYSDEC to confirm that, although the site was generally within areas of known habitats, no endangered species habitats were present. Wetlands were flagged and located on-site. A traffic study and pedestrian study were also performed for the project, to complete SEQRA and to satisfy public concerns.

The proposed hotel at 100 Estrada Road is a less intensive land use than many of the uses permitted in the Village IB zoning district. The proposed hotel will not alter community character as it is fully consistent with the Village comprehensive plan and will not have a significant negative impact on Estrada Road.