Grand Central Madison added another award to its mantle for its historic role in transforming New York’s transportation infrastructure. The New York State Society of Professional Engineers (NYSSPE) selected Grand Central Madison, formerly known as East Side Access, as the 2024 Outstanding Engineering Project of the Year. The state chapter of the National Society of Professional Engineers recognizes professionals and projects that reflect the industry’s dedication to public service.
STV and its partners provided tunnel engineering, environmental engineering and final design services for a 700,000-square-foot terminal and concourse carved deep below Grand Central Terminal. Grand Central Madison expands Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) capacity into Manhattan’s East Side for the first time, increasing train capacity by 50%, improving commute times for 100,000 riders by 30 minutes each day, enhancing air quality and easing congestion at Penn Station. Earlier this year, the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC NY) awarded the prestigious Empire Award to the project—the organization’s highest honor.
As one of the largest single construction programs ever undertaken by MTA Construction & Development (MTA C&D), the project features complex terminal and tunnel network/track alignment underneath the most congested neighborhoods in New York. Stretching across Manhattan and Queens, the completed project includes eight miles of tunneling, three levels, four platforms and eight tracks.
STV’s Vinny Kissoon, CP, CEP, VMA, MRICS PQS, senior vice president and Transportation Northeast practice lead for project controls, and Alfred Klag, PE, principal and senior project manager, accepted the award alongside its tri-venture partners, WSP USA Inc. and Parsons Corporation, and owner, MTA C&D. For nearly 30 years, STV played a key project role on the project, from the initial feasibility study to the final design, including modifications to Harold Interlocking, the busiest rail interlocking in North America.
“As a Long Islander who was involved on this project for the past 24 years, Grand Central Madison is transformational for our communities throughout the region,” said Kissoon, who served as the project’s cost estimating manager and project controls manager. “It was also a project of generational significance for me, as both my son and I worked on it.”
