George A. Fox Conference Marks 25th Anniversary

The George A. Fox Conference, presented by the UCA of SME, marked its 25th anniversary as the the event was held Jan. 7 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The event started as an AUA regional conference in 2000 and was re-named in honor of the George Fox in 2002 after his passing in 2001.

Fox was a prominent tunneler and educator in the New York City area whose legacy includes lead roles in the planning, design, and management of 70 major public works projects valued in excess of $61 billion over a 50-year-plus career. Fox was a speaker at the inaugural event.

Tom Peyton, industry veteran and past president of UCA, gave an honorary address reflecting on the life and impact of Fox.

The 2025 conference marked its first appearance at the Marriott Marquis. The event started at the McGraw-Hill Building before spending several years at the CUNY Graduate Center and then the Hilton Midtown. The event drew about 500 people.

Bill Edgerton of Delve Underground kicked off the presentation slate with a keynote address on “Success Factors of DC Water’s Clean Rivers Program.” He was followed by Jim Morrison of Gateway Development Corporation, who provided a summary of the progress on the Gateway program, the largest infrastructure project in the United States that includes the construction of a new train tunnel under the Hudson River.

Other notable presentations included discussions alternative contracting, the Bay Park microtunneling project on Long Island, tunnel rehab in New York and Washington, D.C., an overview of tunneling in Maryland, the HRBT project in Virginia, LA’s D Line Phase 1, tunnel enlargement in Germany, the Second Avenue Subway in New York, and U.S. Tunnel Industry Update.

Sanja Zlatanic of HNTB served as the chair of the 17-member conference committee.