MKJ: KEEPING NYCT CUSTOMERS SAFE, ON TIME, AND ON THE GO 

An example of the new wayfinder technology installed during the ESI subway enhancements.

 

Every day, subways in New York City transport millions of people between all five boroughs, across 27 lines and 472 stations. But did you know that many of these subway lines are over 100 years old? 

One. Hundred. Years.

Meaning, much of the infrastructure and technology is horribly outdated and overused, considering it runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  

Or it was, until Governor Cuomo included the renovation of dozens of subway stations in his 2015-2019 Capital Program, part of the New York City Transit (NYCT) larger $16 billion budget. The Enhanced Station Initiative (ESI) Program, spearheaded by NYCT, was a major investment in the infrastructure of the MTA. It focused on providing state of the art repairs, upgraded design and an improved rider experience through design and innovation. 

In this first-ever design + build initiative for the NYCTA, the MKJ Team could not be more proud to have been the system integrator on all of the stations completed. Working in tandem – designing and implementing in real-time with our partners, EJ electric, Citnalta-Forte JV, and ECCO III Enterprises, Inc, we completed every single one of these stations on time and per budget.

Up to 33 stations were slated to get a modern facelift, and MKJ was chosen to provide state of the art technology to keep riders safe, on time and informed. 

According to Besmir (Benny) Ameti, Senior Project Manager at  MKJ, “It was an extremely fast-paced job, as we were working against the clock to keep the stations out of commission for the least amount of time. All 33 of which had either full or partial closures at some point. It was a design-build project, which is not typical for these types of projects for NYCT, so it was kind of new for everyone, but our team thrives while problem-solving.”

Benny continued, “It was really amazing to work with the agency solving design issues without haste, completing a project that had previously taken upward of two years in 8 months. By taking stations out of service while the work was done optimized all of the trades’ ability to work unencumbered. The trade-off was that it was crucial for the schedule to be adhered to and stations opened back up on time.  There was a sense of teamwork from top to bottom, from the commencement to substantial completion.” 

Savni Sandbor, Project Manager at MKJ, was another problem solver on the ESI project, dealing with everything from fulfilling different requirements at each station to figuring out how to coordinate long lead times so stations were only closed for a short time. Savni shared, “From 2017 up to early 2019 we were working on about 18 stations simultaneously, which all had different requirements, so the systems and design changed accordingly with each station. From surveys and drawings to identifying the actual requirements, it was a great experience and opportunity for the MKJ team to put our heads together and overcome any obstacle put in front of us.”

One of the biggest challenges was timing the procurement due to the long lead times, approvals and the huge quantities of equipment. Thankfully, MKJ has incredible relationships and resources that we were able to tap into to get the job done on budget and on time.  

Which was the most challenging station to get moving, literally? According to Savni, it was the 174th St. station in The Bronx. “The station had 3 floors, and we dealt with all types of CCTV applications like passenger intrusion detection, NYCT surveillance, NYPD surveillance, and platform edge monitoring. It is imperative for the platform edge monitoring to work for the train to come on the platform and open and close doors securely, but we had a last-minute issue and the station could not re-open without it.  We had only two hours to figure out the issue, but in the end, after Team MKJ had already pulled a few crazy 4 am track surveys on the holiday weekend, we figured it out and made the December station re-opening right on schedule. 

MKJ enhanced stations in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, and designed and integrated the following systems:

• CCTV for platform edge monitoring system

• Surveillance CCTV system

• NYPD surveillance CCTV system

• Passenger identification CCTV system

• Public address (PA) system

• Customer information system (CIS)

• Street-level CIS displays

• Communications room power plant upgrades

• Help point intercom (HPI) and passenger station local area network (PSLAN)

• Street-level totems

• NYCT agent booth upgrades

Interested in learning more about this project? We can talk you through each and every step of the design and build phase, or better yet, meet us at the site or at our brand new office where we can walk you through our state of the art fabrication warehouse and you can see our products up close.  Contact John Massaro, our vice president of engineering and operations, at Jmassaro@mkjcomm.com

FIERCE FEMALES

MKJ is proud to be a woman-owned company employing many incredible females, making a name in a male-dominated industry.

Savni Sandbhor, Project Manager

Savni extended her natural leadership traits to create and institute MKJ’s in-house mentorship program,  recognized by Laguardia Community College, and now utilized industry-wide to identify young talent proficient in engineering. This program exposes them to all aspects of the design, engineering, fabrication, and technical aspects of the process, providing them with the skills they need to stay on and join Team MKJ or go out and succeed in the industry elsewhere. 

What is your favorite thing about working at MKJ? 

From the start, I was intrigued by working for a small company that was planning for growth and owned by a powerful woman, but my first job love is project management. Juggling multiple projects and deadlines at once is challenging, but working with our vendors and industry contacts to solve problems and see projects through to fruition is extremely rewarding. 

We’ve built strong relationships with many companies and together we always come through in the most challenging of circumstances to make projects succeed despite the various obstacles of time sensitivity and design complexities that present themselves. I love overcoming challenges as part of our team, and thankfully, MKJ has incredible relationships and resources that we are able to tap into to get projects done on budget and on time.  

Being a woman, How has MKJ empowered you in this field?

Equal opportunity in everything and hard work is always recognized and appreciated at MKJ. Being a woman in this field can be hard at times but I get great support from the whole team during my projects and this truly empowers me to multitask and deliver. It’s about learning through experience and applying the knowledge that makes you feel empowered.

At MKJ I have been able to grow and learn, own my mistakes, have big ideas, receive mentorship and now mentor on my own. I’m the only woman at about 95% of the field visits, meetings, and tests that I attend, so it’s empowered me to feel capable of voicing my opinion. Jennifer constantly reminds me to be the best engineer first and best female engineer second. 

By virtue of the vast experience I’ve gained at MKJ, I’m learning and implementing gained knowledge every single day with confidence.


From left, Savni, Karina, Johanna

Karina Cherviacova, Estimator

Karina knew, right from the start of her career, that working in sales and estimations demands a particular set of skills and personal characteristics to be successful, and she has credited MKJ for opening the door for her to learn these skills and build on them every day. 

How has being a woman working at MJK empowered you?

As a female, it’s exciting to be embraced and encouraged to take on new challenges, and working at MKJ has taught me that I am capable and driven and I can be an important part of a job as much as any of my male colleagues.

Working alongside contractors teaches me every day to understand the field and to approach each project with cautious detail. The learning is endless and every day I take steps and make decisions that continue to build my confidence so that I will continue to grow with MKJ and one day step into the shoes of my mentors here. (Watch out Lou and John!)

This is a competitive market and as a WBE, MKJ has built a name in customer satisfaction with a fast rate of growth and success. Working for MKJ was a golden opportunity that I decided to take because I can see where we are headed and I want to be a part of our larger success in the next decade. 
 

Johanna Fabre, Junior project engineer 

Johanna was one of our star interns who started her career here early as she navigated her way through our mentorship program. As a young professional fresh out of college she’s been able to learn everything she needs to know about engineering in this field, from the ground up- including her already brilliant technical writing skills.  

How has working at MKJ from the start of your career supported you as a woman in this industry? 

I am beyond grateful for the experience I had going through the MKJ mentorship program. Most companies in our field are fully staffed with men, and to work at a woman-owned company, with female role models, has been amazing.

We have the most supportive team who works collaboratively on every project, and every month new projects are coming in that open my eyes to different aspects of the industry. From integrating new systems at Laguardia Airport to overhauling outdated equipment in multiple NYCT subway stations, to installing AV systems at the NY Aquarium, my job here is always exciting and constantly evolving. 

Even though I’ve learned so much in a short amount of time, I know that I still have more to learn so I can succeed in this industry – and I’m confident that I’ll learn everything I need to know along the way, while working at MKJ.

With multiple successful projects under our belt, MKJ is confident that we can engineer and integrate the best, customized, state-of-the-art, systems to offer viable solutions for our valuable clients.

Meet us at our brand new office where we can walk you through our fabrication warehouse and you can see our products up close.  Contact John Massaro, our vice president of engineering and operations, at Jmassaro@mkjcomm.com