ACEC New York’s Coveted Empire Award Granted to Grand Central Madison/East Side Access

Grand Central Madison – the historic transportation project transforming commuter rail in New York’s Metropolitan region – won the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York’s (ACEC NY) most coveted honor, the Empire Award.

At its annual Engineering Excellence Awards gala in April, ACEC NY announced that Grand Central Madison, also known as East Side Access, was named the top project designed and built entirely in New York. The project eases congestion at Penn Station while also reducing wait times for LIRR train customers. STV’s team accepted the award alongside its tri-venture partners, WSP USA Inc. and Parsons Corporation.

This marks the second year in a row an STV project received the Empire Award with Delta Air Lines’ Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport earning the honor in 2023. STV, in joint venture with Satterfield & Pontikes, and in partnership with Turner Construction and Group PMX, served as Delta’s construction manager-as-agent for the project.

STV and its partners provided tunnel engineering, environmental engineering and final design services for the 700,000-square-foot terminal and concourse carved deep below Grand Central Terminal, with a complex terminal and tunnel network/track alignment underneath highly congested neighborhoods. The project fulfills a long-term vision by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to expand LIRR capacity and transform commutes for thousands of New Yorkers.

“Grand Central Madison is one of the largest single construction programs ever undertaken by MTA Construction & Development, allowing the LIRR – North America’s busiest commuter railroad – to reach both sides of Manhattan for the first time,” said Richard Amodei, STV’s president of transportation for the northeast region. “The new tunnels and terminal will increase train capacity by 50% and save nearly 100,000 commuters more than 30 minutes each day, reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality. We’re so grateful for ACEC NY’s recognition of MTA’s program and the tireless work of the entire project team.” 

Last fall, ACEC NY awarded Grand Central Madison with its Diamond Award, recognizing the team’s design for the largest single construction program ever undertaken by MTA Capital Construction. STV’s partnership with the MTA for Grand Central Madison began over 30 years ago, when STV first performed an operational and feasibility study.

Several STV projects also received awards from ACEC NY at the awards ceremony, including three Platinum Awards and a Gold Award. Newark Liberty International Airport’s new Terminal A was recognized for being the largest design-build infrastructure project in New Jersey; the project recently earned the Grand Award from ACEC New Jersey, as well as Skytrax’s highest rating for an airport terminal.

Platinum Awards were also given to the Long Island Rail Road Elmont UBS Arena Station and the Battery Park City Ball Fields and Community Center Resilience project. The Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign study earned Gold from ACEC NY.