Super Storm Sandy revealed serious weaknesses and vulnerability to infrastructure and property in the NY Metropolitan area. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA) took proactive measures to harden and build resiliency into their train and electrical infrastructure with the letting of multiple design-bid-build projects.  Yonkers was awarded four PA Sandy Infrastructure Resiliency Projects involving PATH train facilities and electrical substations.

 

The PATH mainline tracks and equipment between Newark Penn Station and the Journal Square Transportation Center were damaged preventing movement of crucial rail equipment. PATH infrastructure facilities located east of the Harrison Car Maintenance Facility (HCMF) in Kearny, along the Passaic River, were flooded resulting in four months of service outages. Damaged tracks, electrical and signal equipment required a fast-track replacement.  In 2013, Yonkers erected a durable temporary flood protection measure for the PA that included a four-foot-high, 2,700-linear foot HESCO wall along the Passaic River.  Yonkers executed the temporary work under an aggressive schedule while permanent solutions were developed by the PA. The PA authorized the construction of a new, reinforced concrete retaining wall which Yonkers constructed using high strength concrete and high strength steel sheeting to resist a 100-year storm event.  Work included track work, signals and communications bungalows, installation of a flexible deployable fabric flood barrier across the main PATH tracks G and H along the Passaic River and at the PATH's Harrison Car Maintenance Facility. Yonkers performed the work while maintaining strict environmental protection measures.