Forecast 2025
Robust Pipeline of Highway, Bridgework, Sewer, Energy, Transit to Power Sectors, Trades Report
By JOHN JORDAN
TARRYTOWN, NY– Despite economic and political uncertainties of the past two months caused by pronouncements and actions in Washington, regional construction officials are steadfast in their forecasts that once milder weather arrives in the coming weeks, crews will take up significant project work in all sectors: highway, bridge, energy, school and private construction projects.
CONSTRUCTION NEWS spoke with Building trades officials from Westchester-Putnam, Rockland County and the mid-Hudson Valley regions for their take on the pulse of the market in 2025. Click here for a list of projects.
Westchester and Putnam Counties
Jeff Loughlin – President Building & Construction Trades Council of Westchester & Putnam Counties, Inc.
Prospects for 2025: Mr. Loughlin said 2025 is a year of challenges ahead. Set against a backdrop of two years remaining on the five-year, $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Biden passed on to the
new administration, there is still “plenty of money left to be allocated. Whether the states get to spend their authorizations is another question and a big uncertainty,” he observed.
An analysis from the Brookings Institute think tank notes that money hasn’t necessarily hit job sites yet, and it will take years after the IIJA expires for all of its projects to be completed. It’s possible for Trump to claw back some funds or shift them around, it noted.
Mr. Loughlin, who also serves as Business Manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 137 of Briarcliff Manor, NY, said there are numerous projects that will be putting the trades to work in 2025. These include infrastructure, municipal public works, environmental/water facilities, energy and transmission work and resource development.
Conspicuously absent, however, were the private market sectors of multifamily housing, hospitality and commercial real estate development, which he hopes to begin winning back through aggressive efforts to reclaim a place at the table with developers and local elected officials.
Infrastructure work from the New York City DEP, NYSDOT, MTA and other entities will fuel significant work for the building trades in 2025, Mr. Loughlin said. Despite a court ruling that has eliminated Project Labor Agreements on federal projects of $35 million or more, and the threats of a federal funding freeze, Mr. Loughlin remains bullish on the prospects for the Westchester-Putnam region in 2025.
“Money that is already in the pipeline for those jobs, we are still going to see that money come in. There is really nothing they can do about that money that has been earmarked for us.”
Observations: A hopeful sign for the building trades is the Trump Administration’s nominee for Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, whom he characterized as “labor friendly.”
Edward Cooke, Vice President – Building & Construction Trades Council of Westchester & Putnam Counties, Inc.
Prospects for 2025: “The best one-word description for last year was ‘Stalled,’” Mr. Cooke noted. “It was the year of should’ve, could’ve, would’ve but didn’t,” he said. “It seems that 2025 is off to a strong start with infrastructure and cast in-place concrete.”
Mr. Cooke, who also serves as Business Representative of the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and Local 279 in Hopewell Junction, NY, noted that compared to last year, the new year is “already off to a better start.”
He explained that building and construction activity “really didn’t start until April or May of last year. We started a few of these projects in January and February (2025), and it seems like it is starting to roll…I am very optimistic that this will be a banner year for the trades.”
Observations: “Westchester County on a whole has been good with its Project Labor Agreements. Under Putnam County (Executive) Kevin Byrne, we have three Project Labor Agreements,” covering road and bridgework projects, “which are the first in a very long time in Putnam County.”
He added, “The building trades and labor must do a better job educating Republicans on the importance of Davis-Bacon and the curses of right-to-work policy—and the poverty and devastation that right-to-work brings to states.”
Mid-Hudson Region
L. Todd Diorio – President Hudson Valley Building & Construction Trades Council
Prospects for 2025: Mr. Diorio said, “2024 was very good for most of the building trades.” Hours for Laborers last year were up 5%. Hours in the building sector were a little lower than normal, while the heavy highway sector “was very strong.”
He explained that generally the market-share split between the building and heavy highway sector in the region was 50-50. In 2024, the market share tipped in favor of the heavy highway industry by a 68-32 margin. Mr. Diorio noted that the New York State Executive Budget 2025-2026 calls for approximately $1 billion in additional highway and bridge construction funding.
“2025 looks very strong” for the approximately 6,000-members and 29 participating unions in the Hudson Valley Building & Construction Trades Council, he summarized. “The four counties (Orange, Sullivan, Ulster and Dutchess) that the Hudson Valley Building Trades cover will see a lot of work.”
Observations: “There are a bunch of solar/renewable energy projects that we are tracking in Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties and talking with developers about. So, we see a lot of work coming out of the solar industry, including the Hudson Valley area.”
Rockland County
Stephen Reich, Co-Vice President – Building & Construction Trades Council of Rockland County
Prospects for 2025: Mr. Reich, who serves as Business Manager of Laborers Local No. 754 of Chestnut Ridge, NY, said, “Overall, I think 2024 was pretty good, especially for the Laborers, and the other trades hung in there pretty well. In general, it was a decent year for most of the trades. I didn’t hear a lot of complaints.”
He added that the heavy highway side of the trades was very busy, along with union carpenters. Key drivers included road work and private industrial warehouse project work, where the Rockland Building Trades have adopted special agreements and strategies to be competitive in that market, he explained.
“2025 should be a strong year if the money from Washington is not held up.” He admitted that the building trades are going to have our challenges but I think there is the potential for a decent year and the potential to put new things in place so we can try to build better years going forward.”
Observations: “We got a lot of challenges we’re dealing with” in 2025,” Mr. Reich said. “We’re trying to use Target funds, apprenticeship requirements and that kind of stuff to have local public projects use local labor.”
He added, “A lot of these New Jersey companies are starting to sign up with some of those upstate apprentice programs, such as the Empire Merit program, which is recognized by the state, but is a sham program, in my opinion.”
Published: February 13, 2025.