Amen Mukhlis Builds With One Eye on the Future and Another on the Past

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On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy slammed into the New Jersey coast near Atlantic City, 126 miles south of New York City. It produced a storm surge of nearly 14 feet in Lower Manhattan as the Hudson River, New York Harbor, and the East River rose to unprecedented levels. The streets of Lower Manhattan flooded, along with parts of New York City’s subway system, the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel, and the Queens–Midtown Tunnel. Damages from the storm totaled an estimated $71.4 billion.

Amen Mukhlis, assistant vice president of infrastructure design and construction at New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), says Hurricane Sandy was a wake-up call, not just for Manhattan but for the entire region. Mukhlis and the MTA answered that call. “Since then, we’ve approached flood resilience as a core design principle rather than an afterthought,” Mukhlis says. “We’re incorporating passive flood barriers, deployable protections, and watertight structural elements into many of our recovery projects, specific resiliency projects, state of good repair work, and expansions.”

“There isn’t a zip code in New York that I didn’t put my hand on. We are very cautious and we’re good custodians when it comes to building for generations to come.”

Amen Mukhlis

Sandy, coupled with climatologists’ prediction of more frequent and robust storms, prompted Mukhlis to adopt a new design guideline specific to the 120-year-old MTA with its aging structures. “Our design guideline protects us from a category two hurricane, and that’s translated to the height of water that we expect. We added three feet of water protection and call the new design guideline category two plus three,” Mukhlis says.

MTA’s post-Sandy design guideline uses more sustainable materials, reducing both maintenance costs and environmental impact. Recycled-content steel, low-carbon concrete, and energy-efficient systems are strategic necessities.

“Innovation is not just about flashy tech,” Mukhlis explains. “It’s about smarter, more adaptive design that gives the system a fighting chance in the decades ahead. We’re reshaping how the region moves, survives, and thrives in the face of increasing environmental and operational challenges. The goal is to deliver infrastructure that holds up not just to today’s needs, but to tomorrow’s uncertainties.”

Mukhlis, a licensed engineer who holds multiple advanced degrees in civil engineering and business, applies technical rigor to every phase of project planning, from value engineering and constructability reviews to lifecycle cost analyses. He heads up a diverse team of more than 50 professional engineers, architects, schedulers, inspectors, project managers, and consultant support staff. His team is successful because Mukhlis leads with clarity and trust, enabling team members to share a collective sense of purpose.

“I give people space to solve problems, but I make sure they have the tools, support, and direction they need,” Mukhlis says. The senior director listens more than he speaks, a leadership technique that allows him to learn and place himself in others’ shoes. “I understand their intent, their goals, then I act accordingly,” he shares.

His team, diverse in professional titles, comprises individuals with diverse backgrounds, creeds, and religions, reflecting America’s exceptionalism, Mukhlis points out. Ivy Leaguers work with individuals from state schools, international schools, and trade schools. Experienced workers share their wisdom with younger ones, who in turn share their understanding of the latest tech.

“They complement each other. That’s the strength of diversity: you get different perspectives,” Mukhlis says, highlighting this important factor. “Everybody brings something to the table, and they bring a different vision and different way of thinking and a different point of view, and maybe a different experience.”

The majority of the New York City subway system was built between 1905 and 1940.

Designing construction projects that fit into this antiquated system is one of Mukhlis’s greatest challenges. He says there’s quite a bit of engineering ingenuity there to make sure any design element can fit into the subway environment. MTA’s mission is to connect New Yorkers with residents of the entire the tristate area, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. “We have to account for that,” Mukhlis notes. “When we do design and construction, we are impacting the main goal of the subway.”

The efficiency of Mukhlis and his team brings them success in applying MTA’s new design guideline, and in performing the innovative groundbreaking work they do. They plan smarter, communicate better, break traditional silos, and bring innovation to the table at the beginning of a project. MTA scours the marketplace looking for any innovation, like using Matterport for creating models, training AI to recognize patterns in the subway system, identifying vulnerabilities, and performing sensitive analyses.

Despite the challenges Mukhlis faces, working in the built world offers a satisfaction that keeps him and his team focused on MTA’s goal. Nothing gives Mukhlis more pride than walking around New York and pointing out the structures to which he’s contributed.

“There isn’t a zip code in New York that I didn’t put my hand on. We are very cautious and we’re good custodians when it comes to building for generations to come,” Mukhlis says with pride. Under his leadership, the MTA has delivered over $2 billion in flood mitigation and resilience projects, ranging from deployable flood barriers at key entrances to microtunneled stormwater diversions in active rail yards.

Often, Mukhlis will sit with his team members and speculate about how those who came before them constructed such a massive and incredible system. “We’re always thinking, ‘Is anybody going to remember us in 120 or 150 years, or are they going to be flying, and the subway system will be obsolete?’” Mukhlis says. “We don’t just build for the MTA, for the present—we build for our children and their generation. We owe it to them to get it right.”

Whatever the future may hold, Mukhlis and his team will continue to innovate in the now, giving present and future MTA riders safety in their travels.

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