Most building trades in the Hudson Valley fared well in 2025 despite challenges posed to projects by higher inflation of material costs along with the funding pauses by the Trump administration of clean-energy projects or the Gateway Hudson Tunnel project, and their ripple effects on builder and consumer confidence and the financing sector.

Hudson Valley labor leaders are also banking on Project Labor Agreements on many large infrastructure-related projects. Meanwhile, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature are on track to pass the FY 2026-2027 budget that will finance budgeted transportation, clean water and pollution control infrastructure projects along with clean energy and new housing development initiatives.  

CONSTRUCTION NEWS recently spoke with Jeff Loughlin, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Westchester & Putnam Counties; Edward Cooke, Vice President of the Building & Construction Trades Council of Westchester & Putnam Counties, Inc.; Stephen Reich, co-vice president, the Building & Construction Trades Council of Rockland County and L. Todd Diorio, president of the Hudson Valley Building & Construction Trades Council, on the prospects for project work in 2026 in the region. All agreed that the trades should be very busy once the industry returns to work, buoyed by large infrastructure projects under way in the Hudson Valley.

WESTCHESTER, PUTNAM COUNTIES

Jeff Loughlin, President – Building and Construction Trades Council of Westchester & Putnam Counties

Mr. Loughlin, who also Business Manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 137 of Briarcliff Manor, NY, said the prospects are significant. Work will continue at the NYC DEP Kensico and Hillsview projects, utility work and possibly the beginning of the multi-year Galleria redevelopment project in White Plains could also boost activity. 

Mr. Loughlin envisioned the NYSDOT will undertake significant repair work in the lower Hudson region due impacts of the cold weather. Work is also continuing on the Elizabeth Seton expansion project in White Plains and the new headquarters for the New York Power Authority in Downtown White Plains that will likely be finished in 2027. Both projects are proceeding under PLAs.

Observations: The developers of the Galleria project, which is in the approval process in the City of White Plains, hopes to secure financing and needed financial assistance and incentives from the state and local agencies and perhaps begin demolition and construction sometime later this year. He said the building trades are in early discussions with the developer—Cappelli Enterprises and others—and that he eventually expects a Project Labor Agreement will be reached if the estimated $2.5-billion project moves forward.

Edward Cooke, Vice President – Building and Construction Trades Council of Westchester & Putnam Counties

Mr. Cooke also serves as Business Representative of the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and Local 279 in Hopewell Junction, NY.

Prospects for 2026 – Major Projects in Westchester-Putnam:

• The Westchester Joint Water Waterworks Rye Lake Water Filtration Plant being built by Yonkers Contracting Co. Inc. with a PLA—construction is expected to start in earnest in the late spring;
• Bear Mountain Redecking Project by the New York State Bridge Authority to start late first quarter/early second quarter under a PLA with three regional building trades (Westchester-Putnam, Rockland and Hudson Valley);
• White Plains Hospital Expansion work will start around the end of the first quarter under a PLA;
• Westchester Medical Center’s expansion (while not a PLA, it is expected to be performed significantly union);
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ expansion continues with a considerable amount of the work performed union, Mr. Cooke said.

Mr. Cooke also expects a significant level of school construction work to take place in multiple districts in the region. He noted that the building trades are in negotiations for a PLA on the Cross County Parkway Signage and Maintenance with NYSDOT.

The Union Trades are in talks for a PLA with Cappelli Enterprises on the new White Plains Hospital parking garage project. 

MID-HUDSON REGION

Todd Diorio, President Hudson Valley Building & Construction Trades Council

Mr. Diorio also serves as Eastern New York Laborers District Council Business Manager.

Prospects for 2026 – Major Projects in the Hudson Valley:

• Major school construction projects with Arlington, Monroe-Woodbury and Ellenville school districts;
• Wappingers Falls School District has completed a due diligence study and may be entering a PLA with the building trades on planned capital projects;
• Unions are seeking the Valley Central and Fallsburg school districts to sign PLAs for their planned projects;
• Unions are working with state government to include three major projects at SUNY New Paltz be included in this year’s budget worth approximately $250 million;
• Two major projects valued at more than $250 million each are on the drawing boards at West Point, with one under a PLA and expected to be awarded imminently. Thayer Hall improvement project at West Point is expected to go out to bid soon, he added, hoping that the project will be performed under a PLA. It is valued at between $400 million to $500 million.
• Work has just begun on the $100-million Caesar’s Lane water treatment plant in New Windsor and Orange County will be bidding two large water treatment projects, the Harriman treatment plant project estimated at $185 million to $200 million and the Valley View plant at approximately $25 million;
• The Town of Thompson has two treatment plant projects planned—Emerald Green and Kiamesha and the South Fallsburg treatment plant project, estimated at $110 million;
• The Mountaindale treatment plant is estimated at $30 million.

Mr. Diorio also noted the likelihood of the Bear Mountain redecking project, which was still out to bid at press time. He expects it could be worth anywhere between $65 million to $75 million and will be undertaken under a PLA with several  regional building trades councils.

He also expects work to begin once again on the Rondout Tunnel project by the NYCDEP in the third quarter. He believes the trades will benefit from significant utility work from Central Hudson and Orange and Rockland Utilities in 2026. He said that the building trades are in discussions with both utilities to adopt a labor policy that would require all work to be performed by union members.

Observations: “2026 looks good. I see a lot of opportunity in the Hudson Valley. We finally have a couple of solar projects that are coming to light. We signed a Memorandum of Understanding for four solar battery storage facilities worth close to $2 billion in work… “I am expecting 2026 to be as good if not better than 2025,” Mr. Diorio said. 

He said he expects a significant amount of NYSDOT work, county governments and municipalities as well as large NYCDEP projects and is hopeful that the massive more than $600-million Amazon Fulfilment Center in Slate Hill will move forward. 

ROCKLAND COUNTY

Stephen Reich, Co-Vice President – Building & Construction Trades Council of Rockland County

Stephen Reich serves as Business Manager of Laborers Local No. 754 of Chestnut Ridge, NY.

Prospects for 2026 – Major Projects in Rockland County:

• Rockland Green Animal Shelter project (2 PLAs);
• Lake Sebago Rehabilitation Project with the New York State Parks Department to be undertaken under a PLA (total project cost over $95 million) that will begin in the spring;
• $32-million Rockland BOCES building project under a PLA;
• $9.5-millon Rockland County Sheriff’s building under a PLA and the $6-million Rockland County Sewer District Sludge Thickeners Upgrades under a PLA;

Among the upcoming projects are:

• Rockland County Sewer District Johnson and Hickory Road Pump Station Grinder Pump Replacements and Upgrades under a PLA;
• Village of Nyack Water Treatment Plant Upgrade under a PLA estimated to be valued between $15 million to $20 million;
• NYSDOT Route 303 resurfacing project, approximately $10 million.

Expected to go to bid later in 2026 are:

• Bridge and dam repairs at Lake Sebago by the New York State Parks Department and Route 304 paving and maintenance project by NYSDOT.
• Several private development projects in the approval stage, but without PLAs. The, building trades are expected to participate thanks to Rockland County IDA incentive language and local labor requirements;
• JP Morgan Chase Sycamore Data Center Phase Three work, which is  now winding down;
• Ramland Data Center (a 230,000/sf addition to existing data center) is on the books to begin this year;
• Databank Data Center Phase Two project in Orangeburg is in approvals but is now subject to strong local opposition;
• Cedars Corners, a proposed $105-million, two-building warehouse project in the Town of Clarkstown;
• The $23-million Millers Pond Redevelopment in the Town of Ramapo;
• The $300+-million Haverstraw Chair Factory project has secured state incentives, including brownfield credits.

Mr. Reich said that only a small portion of the redevelopment project is subject to prevailing wage, despite the significant public funding for the venture and the building trades continue to work to increase its presence on the project that is projected to begin construction sometime this spring.

Observations: 2025 was a good year for most of the building trades until the harsh winter conditions put the hammer down on work in the county. Nevertheless, the building trades enjoyed a major jolt of work on the Champlain Hudson Power Express project and Orange and Rockland Utilities’ gas line project on Route 91. Both projects are nearing completion. 

“While there is some uncertainty with the way of the world today in terms of financing, in general the Rockland County Building Trades have been successful in securing a lot of PLAs that are currently in place and some new ones starting,” Mr. Reich said. “We got quite a few on the books right now,” adding that if most of the projects slated to commence construction this year do in fact break ground, he expects activity in Rockland County will be an above average.