New York Bridge to Be Largest Infrastructure Project in North America
October 22, 2013 —
CDJ STAFFNew York’s Tappan Zee Bridge is going to be replaced by the New NY Bridge, but it might be a while in coming. Work has begun, but the project is expected to last most of the next five years. Howard P. Milstein, chairman of the Thruway Authority notes that “the New NY Bridge is the largest transportation infrastructure project in North America and one of the largest construction contracts in New York State history.”
The current bridge was designed for 100,000 vehicles daily, or about 38,000 fewer than cross the bridge each day. Maintenance costs have been hundreds of millions of dollars in the last few years. The cost of the new bridge is expected to be less than $4 billion. The initial estimate was that it would cost more than $5 billion to build the new bridge.
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The Partial Building Collapse of the 12-Story Florida Condo
June 28, 2021 —
Beverley BevenFlorez – CDJ StaffOn Thursday, the Champlain Towers South Condo building in Surfside, Florida suffered a partial collapse. As of Monday morning, the official death toll stood at 10 with 151 persons unaccounted for, according to the Miami Herald.
NPR uncovered minutes from a November 15th, 2018 Chaplain Tower South Condominium Association board meeting where the inspector made assurances that “the building was ‘in very good shape.’” However, “an
engineering report from five weeks earlier” alleged “that failed waterproofing in a concrete structural slab needed to be replaced ‘in the near future.’” Daniella Levine Cava, the Miami-Dade County mayor, told reporters that “officials ‘knew nothing’ about the report.”
The New York Times on Sunday reported that experts looking at video footage of the incident believe that the cause is centered on a location “in the lowest part of the condominium complex — possibly in or below the underground parking garage — where an initial failure could have set off a structural avalanche.” The cause of the incident remains unclear, however. This “progressive collapse” could have been caused by a number of different factors “including design flaws or the less robust construction allowed under the building codes of four decades ago.”
A witness, according to the New York Times, saw a hole appear near the pool: “Michael Stratton said his wife, Cassie Stratton, who is missing, was on the phone with him and was looking out through the window of her fourth-floor unit when, she told him, the hole appeared. After that, the call cut off.”
Possible reasons for the “initial failure at the bottom of the building could include a problem with the deep, reinforced concrete pilings on which the building sits — perhaps set off by an unknown void or a sinkhole below — which then compromised the lower columns. Or the steel reinforcing the columns in the parking garage or first few floors could have been so corroded that they somehow gave way on their own. Or the building itself could have been poorly designed, built with substandard concrete or steel — or simply with insufficient steel at critical points.”
"It will take many months to complete the analysis necessary to understand the cause or causes of the collapse,” Eric Ruzicka, a partner at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney and a commercial litigator who specializes in the area of construction and real estate litigation, stated in a media release. “Often, information that comes out early can be very misleading or misunderstood unless the full context of the information is known.”
Ruzicka explained that Florida’s statues of limitations and repose may be relevant. “These statutes will likely eliminate the liability of those involved in the original development, design and construction of the building. Rather, victims and their families' recovery will be limited to those involved in the building's maintenance and those assessing the condition of the building over the past four years.”
Miami and Sunny Isles Beach have announced they will audit older structures in their communities “ahead of the mandatory 40-year recertification,” the Miami Herald reported.
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AI-Powered Construction Optioneering Today
April 08, 2024 —
Aarni Heiskanen - AEC BusinessIn this episode of the AEC Business Podcast, Aarni Heiskanen interviews René Morkos, the founder and CEO of ALICE Technologies. They discuss construction tech, AI, and ALICE Core, the company’s latest product launch.
How the Construction Technology Landscape has Changed
The construction tech industry has evolved significantly since 2015, as discussed with René.
In 2015, there was a lack of understanding and reluctance toward construction tech, with some investors even hesitant to invest in the sector. However, by 2017-2018, there was a noticeable shift as construction tech became a sought-after investment opportunity.
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Aarni Heiskanen, AEC BusinessMr. Heiskanen may be contacted at
aec-business@aepartners.fi
Hunton Insurance Head Interviewed Concerning the Benefits and Hidden Dangers of Cyber Insurance
December 04, 2018 —
Michael S. Levine - Hunton Insurance Recovery BlogThe head of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s insurance practice, Walter Andrews, was interviewed earlier this week by ABC 7 (WJLA) concerning the need for cyber insurance and the benefits that it can provide to government contractors and other businesses that are impacted by a cyber event. Andrews explains the diverse spectrum of benefits that are available through cyber insurance products, but cautions that a serious lack of uniformity exists among today’s cyber insurance products, making it crucial that policyholders carefully analyze their cyber insurance to ensure it provides the scope and amount of insurance they desire.
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Michael S. Levine, Hunton Andrews KurthMr. Levine may be contacted at
mlevine@HuntonAK.com
Eleventh Circuit Reverses Attorneys’ Fee Award to Performance Bond Sureties in Dispute with Contractor arising from Claim against Subcontractor Performance Bond
February 27, 2019 —
CDJ STAFFOn October 26, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (the “Eleventh Circuit”) issued a decision which reversed an award of prevailing party attorneys’ fees to performance bond sureties in their dispute with a contractor arising from the contractor’s claim against a subcontractor’s performance bond. Had the lower court’s decision been affirmed, the performance bond sureties would have been able to recover prevailing party attorneys’ fees against the contractor even though they were not parties to the underlying subcontract and the subcontract did not contain a prevailing party attorneys’ fee provision.
The underlying case is complicated and arose from the construction of Brickell CityCentre in Miami. Americaribe-Moriarty JV (the “Contractor”) asserted a claim against a performance bond procured by a defaulted subcontractor and issued by International Fidelity Insurance Company and Allegheny Casualty Company (collectively, the “Sureties”). The Sureties filed a declaratory judgment action against the Contractor in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (the “District Court”), seeking a declaration that the Contractor failed to perfect its claim against the performance bond.
Reprinted courtesy of
Gary M. Stein, Peckar & Abramson and
K. Stefan Chin, Peckar & Abramson
Mr. Stein may be contacted at gstein@pecklaw.com
Mr. Chin may be contacted at kschin@pecklaw.com
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The World’s Largest 3D-Printed Neighborhood Is Here
March 20, 2023 —
Todd Woody - BloombergAmid the tech boom-fueled sprawl in Austin, Texas, Wolf Ranch at first appears to be another colorfully named but architecturally unimaginative suburban subdivision. Until, that is, you turn a corner and stumble across giant robots building homes resembling waves frozen in concrete.
This 100-house addition to the 2,500 homes planned for Wolf Ranch is called “the Genesis Collection,” and as the world’s largest 3D-printed community, it is indeed sui generis. A collaboration between Lennar Corp., the US’s second-biggest home builder, and 3D-printing startup Icon, Genesis represents perhaps the most significant innovation in residential construction in decades. If it can scale, 3D-printed construction promises to deliver energy-efficient homes that can be built faster and more affordably, in novel designs and with minimal waste. The concrete structures are also more resilient to increasingly intense climate-driven hurricanes, wildfires and heat waves.
“I think we'll look back and say this was a pretty pivotal moment in the history of construction,” says Jason Ballard, Icon’s cowboy hat-wearing co-founder and chief executive officer. “I do think 3D printing and robotic construction are necessary to end the global housing crisis.”
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Todd Woody, Bloomberg
Newmeyer & Dillion Attorneys Selected to Best Lawyers in America© Orange County and as Attorneys of the Year 2018
August 17, 2017 —
Newmeyer & Dillion LLPNEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – AUGUST 17, 2017 – Prominent business and real estate law firm Newmeyer & Dillion LLP is pleased to announce that nine of the firm’s attorneys were recently recognized in their respective areas in The Best Lawyers in America© 2018. Two attorneys, Gregory Dillion and Thomas Newmeyer, also have been selected as an Orange County "Lawyer of the Year." Attorneys named to The Best Lawyers in America, include:
| Jason M. Caruso |
Personal Injury Litigation, Product Liability Litigation |
| Michael S. Cucchissi |
Real Estate Law |
| Gregory L. Dillion |
Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Insurance Law, Litigation – Construction, Litigation – Real Estate |
| Jeffrey M. Dennis |
Insurance Law |
| Joseph A. Ferrentino |
Litigation – Construction, Litigation – Real Estate |
| Thomas F. Newmeyer |
Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Litigation – Real Estate |
| John A. O'Hara |
Litigation – Construction |
| Bonnie T. Roadarmel |
Insurance Law |
| Carol Sherman Zaist |
Commercial Litigation |
Additionally, Gregory Dillion was selected as the Orange County Construction Litigation "Lawyer of the Year" and Thomas Newmeyer was selected as the Orange County Construction Law "Lawyer of the Year."
Best Lawyers is the oldest peer-review publication within the legal profession with a history of over 30 years. Attorneys are selected through intensive peer-review surveys in which leading lawyers evaluate their professional peers. Their listings are published in 75 countries worldwide and are recognized for their reliable and unbiased selections. Newmeyer & Dillion is immensely proud of these lawyers and looks forward to their future endeavors.
About Newmeyer & Dillion
For more than 30 years, Newmeyer & Dillion has delivered creative and outstanding legal solutions and trial results for a wide array of clients. With over 70 attorneys practicing in all aspects of business, employment, real estate, construction and insurance law, Newmeyer & Dillion delivers legal services tailored to meet each client’s needs. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with offices in Walnut Creek, California and Las Vegas, Nevada, Newmeyer & Dillion attorneys are recognized by The Best Lawyers in America©, and Super Lawyers as top tier and some of the best lawyers in California, and have been given Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review's AV Preeminent® highest rating. For additional information, call 949-854-7000 or visit www.ndlf.com.
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A Property Boom Is Coming to China's Smaller Cities
May 01, 2019 —
Bloomberg NewsProperty developers that focus on smaller cities in China are set to be the beneficiaries of a reform last week that could encourage 100 million rural citizens to move to urban areas.
Policy makers said cities with an urban population of 1 million to 3 million should scrap the residency registration system this year, a move that is seen boosting housing demand in lower-tier cities. Developers with higher land reserves or housing inventories in those cities, especially growing areas such as the Yangtze River Delta and Greater Bay Area are among the winners from the policy, analysts say.
“The speed of urbanization should accelerate, which is constructive for real estate developers, especially those focused on lower tier cities where we can expect stronger demand for residential properties,” said Ken Hu, chief investment officer for Asia Pacific fixed income at Invesco Hong Kong Ltd.
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Bloomberg
