What’s New
The 10th Annual Lower Hudson Valley Engineering EXPO will be taking place on Sunday, April 7th at White Plains High School. As one of the founding members of this event, Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E. looks forward to your participation. Additional information is available online at BeAnEngineer.org.
Recent Projects
- Provided successful expert witness testimony on behalf of the general contractor and property owner in a construction site accident venued in Staten Island, NY which resulted in a verdict for the defendants
- Consultation regarding structural alterations to an existing structure located in Pelham, NY
- Evaluated various alleged slip/trip and fall claims against a national restaurant chain at various NY state locations
Significant Code Changes to the A117.1 Accessibility Standard, 2009 Edition
ANSI A117.1 is a well known and generally accepted industry standard which is referenced by and partially incorporated into the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code. The International Code Council recently reported that “two former exceptions have been deleted from Section 602.2 (Clear Floor Space at Drinking Fountains) of the A117.1 Accessibility Standard. The two exceptions previously allowed for a parallel approach to existing drinking fountains. The exceptions were deleted from the standard in an attempt to harmonize with the revised Americans with Disabilities Act and Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines, which does not allow a parallel approach to drinking fountains in existing facilities. If these exceptions were not removed, the A117.1 standard would have been less stringent than the federal law and these exceptions would have led to potential problems for people who relied upon the standard when evaluating compliance with accessibility requirements”.
As part of our code and case analysis work, the personnel of Yarmus Engineering, P.C. regularly references this standard, and we make it a priority to remain aware of the revisions in each new edition. We are available to consult on matters regarding accessibility. The performance of inspection, design, and certification services regarding accessibility are a regular part of our practice. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients.
Comptroller approves $3.14B contract for new Tappan Zee bridge
On January 19th WABC Eyewitness News reported that “a $3.14 billion contract between the New York Thruway Authority and Tappan Zee Constructors to design and build a new Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson River has been approved by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. This clears the way for the JV — including Fluor Enterprises, American Bridge, Granite Construction Northeast and Traylor Bros. — to move ahead”.
Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E., as the current President of the Rockland County Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers (NYSSPE), and as a founding board member of the Lower Hudson Valley Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), has planned and hosted a variety of technical lectures for both engineers and the general public during the planning stages of this important public infrastructure project. He is chairing the next such lecture on behalf of the Professional Engineers of Rockland County on February 20th, during National Engineers’ Week. The event is open to the general public, and we look forward to having those interested in the project join us.