Construction to revamp the JFK's international terminal, Terminal 4, has been underway since 2010, with the goal to gussy up the outdated structure and add several new gates, among other things. Today, the Times takes a peek at how things are going over there, despite the fact that the project won't be finished until at least 2013. And what they found, is, surprisingly, kind of good? more ›

It's not often that we agree with Donald Trump, but he was right when he called LaGuardia a "third-world airport"—okay, maybe he's exaggerating a bit, but we back his sentiment. It's crowded and dirty, with the saddest Auntie Annie's pretzel stand we have ever seen—even the Port Authority boss says it's a dump! But could the much-maligned airport finally be getting a makeover? more ›

Today in Maddening News Of The New Year, we learn that the much-maligned BQE will continue to be under construction pretty much forever, as it has been for all time. It's not exactly new news, but at least we get some historical context for the headache. more ›

The MTA wants you to get a head start on your 2012 subway anxiety: according to the Daily News, the agency plans to periodically shut down a subway line through much of Manhattan so workers can inspect, fix and replace equipment like signals and switches. A line segment will stop running at about 10 p.m. each night until about 5 a.m. the next morning, and be closed for three or four consecutive weeknights! more ›

A little past noon yesterday, a building collapsed at 1173 Stratford Avenue in the Bronx. According to WCBS 2, "Officials say crews were renovating the first floor" when support columns fell. "Firefighters had to rescue one of the workers who was trapped beneath six feet of rubble. He was taken to Jacobi Hospital in serious condition." Now it's reported that the worker died. more ›

Like so many today, The Friars Club is not happy with the MTA. As the Post reports, the legendary private club that made roasting de rigueur is very worried that an LIRR ventilation plant that is set to go right by its townhouse headquarters will silence it forever. Poor MTA, damned when it doesn't do anything and damned when it finally does. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg and the Department of Transportation are hoping that a new website will solve one of the biggest headaches facing New York drivers. No, not bicycles but constantly ripped up roads. "We’re going to fix something that has aggravated New Yorkers for years, with good reason," Bloomberg said at a press conference yesterday. "That is, why do our streets get torn up, repaved and then sometimes torn up all over again [after] for another project?" If the new site, the Street Works Manual (accompanying PDF here), works as advertised then companies like ConEd will start syncing up their street construction with other companies and city agencies. And that's not all! more ›

A reader sent us a photograph of a Second Avenue Subway construction worker at 73rd Street and Second Avenue. Reader Mike G said he's "singing Sinatra with a mic and amp" and received "loud applause from the small gathering." Aww, that's a small consolation when area residents and businesses have to listen to this—not to mention deal with noxious smells and dust plumes and hazardous road conditions—racket every day: more ›

Last August, Manhattan-bound lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge began closing overnight. But get ready to experience that nightmare all over again! The DOT writes, "Beginning on April 4, 2011 and continuing until the project completion in 2014, Manhattan-bound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge may be detoured to the Manhattan Bridge as needed to accommodate construction. This will occur only during overnight hours and on some weekends." more ›

Two construction workers were killed earlier today after falling 65 feet from 150 West 83rd Street, a site that was being developed for the Redeemer Presbyterian Church. The men reportedly were working on top of an elevator shaft on the seventh floor and fell to scaffolding on the third. The two were rushed to separate hospitals, and both pronounced dead. more ›

In a recent survey of the 225 buildings on 2nd Avenue between 125th Street and 63rd Street, a whopping 51 were found to be too fragile to withstand the 2nd Avenue Subway construction. MTA Capital Construction chief Michael Horodniceanu said most of the weak buildings were in the northern part of the subway route, and rather than force landlords to bring the buildings up to code, the MTA has just said, "fuck it" and is making the repairs themselves. We would gripe about fare hikes going to reckless MTA spending, but frankly, we're OK with anything that gets the 2nd Avenue Subway up and running (relatively) sooner rather than later. more ›

As Frost (OK, a character in a Frost poem) once said, "Good fences make good neighbors." But we're sure building better sidewalks and making sure you're not blocking entrances to your neighbors' businesses can't hurt. After a number of SNAFUs on the 2nd Avenue Subway project, the MTA is trying to make good with the locals by fixing up the construction path. And like the disillusioned, battered wife to the 2nd Avenue Subway's drunken husband, we find ourselves willing to hope once more that this time things will be different. more ›

Have you been having trouble getting a taxi from Manhattan to Brooklyn recently? The Post has, and if the Post has a problem, them everyone must be having a problem. They set their crack team of hack scientists to canvass lower Manhattan, and found that nearly half the cabbies refused to take them over the bridge, which is currently undergoing infuriatingly extensive renovations. We're not that surprised, but hell, we have trouble getting cabbies to take us to the right destinations in Brooklyn anytime; once, we hailed a cab in Williamsburg to take us to the south end of Brooklyn Heights, and were dropped off in Prospect Heights. more ›

Say goodbye to those Manhattan-bound lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge, because they won't be back until at least 2014. The $500 million project will keep Manhattan-bound lanes closed from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays, 12:01 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Saturdays and 12:01 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Sundays. As if that weren't enough, for 24 weekends during the construction period there will be 53-hour (11:00 p.m. Friday to 6:00 a.m. Monday) closures of the Manhattan-bound lanes. All the Manhattan-bound love will be over at the Manhattan Bridge. more ›

After being approved by the City Planning Commission in July, plans for a 1,200-foot tower just two avenues away from the Empire State Building are being reviewed by the City Council. If passed, the tower at 15 Penn Plaza would be a huge change to the New York City skyline. And the Empire State Building isn't happy about it. Anthony Malkin of Malkin Holdings, an ESB owner, wrote to the City Council: more ›

If you've been following the not-at-Ground Zero mosque debate (is there any other news story worth following?!) you'll enjoy last night's Daily Show segment on the topic. After showing a Fox News clip featuring a pundit connecting vague, speculative dots between the imam at the proposed Islamic center and radical Muslim terrorists, Jon Stewart plays the same game of guilt-by-association with Fox owner Rupert Murdoch. He doesn't have to go far to find reasons why Fox might be suspicious of this Murdoch guy, because he's got connections to Saudi Arabian prince Alwaleed bin Talal, News Corp's second-biggest investor: more ›

A contractor working for the MTA was crushed to death yesterday morning while unloading metal panels at the Q train Avenue M station. An NYC Transit spokesman told the Post that Richard Lang was "untying the load of panels when the load shifted" underneath him. He reportedly jumped down, but the load fell on top of him when he hit the ground. A witness said, "He climbed on top of the panels. They were unsteady, and it looked like they didn't tie them." more ›

It's been a few months since we heard about Brooklyn resident Meg Richichi and her battle against the MTA's construction of a 250-foot passageway—but that doesn't mean she hasn't been continuously hearing the work being done. more ›

The Port Authority is closing the Lincoln Tunnel's center tube—in both directions— for construction this weekend. Naturally, big delays are expected since this is a big holiday for people to visit to the city (it is Fleet Week) or for people to flee (Jersey Shore, baby!), but the Port Authority says, "Motorists are advised to use alternate routes to New York, such as the Holland Tunnel," but, hey, why not take mass transit if you can? Of course, the Lincoln Tunnel is where the city's best cell service can be found.... more ›

The noise in New York has taken another victim. Meg Richichi of Brooklyn says she is being kept up all hours of the night as the MTA works on a 250-foot passageway between the Jay Street subway station and the R train at Lawrence Street. She told NY1 that the ongoing racket has been going on since she moved to her apartment in February, and "It’s just this continuous bang, bang, bang. Drilling that goes on and off all night, and its nerve-wracking. I wish they would stop the heavy work at night. If they have to do work, they have to do work, but drilling and jack-hammering, and cutting of pipes, I can’t tolerate it." more ›

So how is this whole shutting down the longest runway at JFK airport thing going? Last month delays were up by 613 even with decreased arrivals and departures. According to the NY Post, the airline industry folk are saying it's going to get worse! An expert tells them, "Generally, flight activity picks up between March and July, so the delays will only get worse, and that doesn't even factor in weather conditions." more ›

In light of "severe cash-flow difficulties" Paterson is ordering state constructions workers to lower their excavators and shut off their jackhammers. Effective April 1, he's cutting money to hundreds of current and not-yet-begun constructions projects, until a budget comes out or emergency financing can be arranged. Actually, that's the same day the budget is due, but so far Paterson has not given an estimate of when it will actually be completed. (According to CBS a final budget has been delivered before the deadline only six times since 1975.) The AP reports that state-funded projects addressing "emergency health and safety needs" are exempt from the order, as are those paid for by federal economic stimulus funds. Still, there will be layoffs, warned a senior advisor to Paterson. more ›

Residents of six Upper East Side apartment buildings are being forced to vacate their homes because authorities are concerned the buildings aren't stable enough to withstand nearby construction on the 2nd Avenue subway line. The Daily News reports a recent survey found the buildings need reinforcement to avoid damage from subterranean blasting and a 1000-ton tunnel boring machine. And surprise, the MTA didn't plan for this in their budget! The cost of relocating the residents to other (and often incomparable) housing will cost the MTA $6 million to $8 million, almost twice what was originally planned. more ›

Back in 2008 Brooke Shields purchased a four-apartment Greek Revival townhouse on West 10th Street in the West Village. At the time, Curbed noted it was "going to take some serious work to combine into a single-family mansion, but Brooke Shields is up to the challenge." Flash forward to today, when the Daily News reports that her neighbors are fed up with construction, which starts around 6 a.m. every morning and has been going on for months. more ›