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Aug 13
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DiDonato Awarded Brick by Brick Infrastructure Award for Runway 5-23

By Awards, News

DiDonato is honored to be awarded the Brick by Brick: Infrastructure Award which highlights the best in real estate, construction and development. 

Finalist: Runway 5-23 Rehabilitation

Square footage: 4,842 linear feet if runway, 4,842 linear feet of taxiway, total of 175,000 square yards

Owner/developer: Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority

Purpose: Reconstruction of the main runway pavement at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport provided a 20-year pavement life. Reconstructing the main runway required coordination among the designer and team, contractor, NFTA, security, FAA and the town. Having the main runway down requires community outreach as flight patterns change. The amount of asphalt was massive (77,000 tons of P-401 asphalt) and much work needed to be done overnight. The ability to keep this very important project on schedule and within budget was crucial as FAA funding requires strict adherence to both.

General Contractor: Union Concrete & Construction Corp.

Engineers: DiDonato Associates Engineering & Architecture

Electrical Design: C&S Cos.

Other Contractors: RDM International Inc, Foit-Albert Associates, Atlantic Testing Labaratories, Terracon, Woolpert.

Timeline: September 2022 – October 2023

Cost: $27.7 Million

Jun 28
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New Employee Information

By New Hires

Since the disruption of COVID, DiDonato has hired a number of people, both new and experienced, to add to our excellent staff.

We would like to OFFICIALLY welcome our “newest” employees:

Anthony Sperrazza, EIT interned with DiDonato during his last two years of college and was hired full-time in May of 2021 after graduating from Michigan State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Anthony is both a musician and athlete and has received awards for both.  He has been providing field technician, survey, inspection, and CAD services for various transportation and infrastructure projects. Currently he is working on design for the rehabilitation of Elmwood Avenue.

Derek Pruitt is a NICET Level I inspector with four years of experience providing field technician, survey, design, and inspection services for various transportation/infrastructure projects.  He holds an AAS degree in Civil Engineering Technology.  Along with his NICET certification, he has certifications in Confined Space Entry, ACI Concrete Field-Testing Technician-Grade 1, and OSHA construction Safety Course. He assists with the NYSDOT Large Culvert Inspection project and the Elmwood Avenue Rehabilitation project.

Alexander Marino, EIT joined the DiDonato Team in May of 2022, after graduating from SUNY at Buffalo with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and working as an intern during winter 2022. He was on both the SUNY at Buffalo Seismic Design Team and Esports Varsity Gaming Teams. He also worked with NYSDOT as a Construction Inspector (intern) in the summer of 2021. He is assisting on the NYSDOT Large Culvert Inspection project and is working on several scoreboard/billboard sign foundations for MEPPI (Mitsubishi) at stadiums and transportation facilities throughout the country.

Claire Birkemeier interned with DiDonato during summer break and was hired full-time after graduating from SUNY at Buffalo with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture with a minor in Environmental Design. Claire was on the ECIC Team One for soccer and received several honors for soccer and academics. She has provided design support on DiDonato’s SUNY at Buffalo Term Contract assignments and is currently the architectural designer for the Hamburg Recreation Center/Ice Rink rehabilitation project.

John Blazier retired from NFTA after a 37-year career as a CAD Specialist/Design Drafter.  DiDonato was happy to hire John to provide CAD/Design services for municipal infrastructure projects. He brings extensive experience to our firm having worked on large transportation facility projects for NFTA.

Madison Cox recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Slippery Rock University, where she was active in Student Government and Engineering Clubs.  She will be supporting the Civil Team working on a variety of transportation projects. She is currently working on the Middle Main Street Rehabilitation project.

Apr 30
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DiDonato Provides Structural Design Services for 2 Penn Station in New York City

By New Projects

Project Highlight:

Two Penn Station Canopy Structural Services

DiDonato Associates was retained by MEPPI for Structural Engineering Services for the design of a multi-folded LED panel canopy façade structure at the new Two Penn Station in New York City. DiDonato was responsible for the structural design of the secondary structure that supports the LED panels that make up this canopy’s underside façade.

DiDonato Associates was retained by MEPPI for Structural Engineering Services for the design of a multi-folded LED panel canopy façade structure at the new Two Penn Station in New York City. DiDonato was responsible for the structural design of the secondary structure that supports the LED panels that make up this canopy’s underside façade.
Due to all the folds and bends throughout the underside façade, the secondary structure was fabricated in large triangular panels comprised of cold form metal studs and tracks. These large panels were constructed off site then lifted into place one-by-one and fastened together. The panels are hung off a threaded rod that is mounted to the underside of the primary structure by utilizing concrete insert anchors, and CFMS cross bracing was installed to prevent lateral sway.
This approach saved time and money but could have been problematic if the layout of the concrete inserts wasn’t thoroughly thought out during the construction of the primary structure overhead. Structural software was used to help verify the design of the large CFMS panels and FEM software was used for the more complex connections we needed to implement. Guidance on expansion joints also was provided to allow the façade to expand and contract without damaging itself.
Next time you are in the Big Apple, check out Two Penn Station!
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