Dec
06
After two weeks, Second Ave. blasting resumes
ByThe Upper East Side’s two-week reprieve is over. The MTA had halted blasting underneath Second Ave. shortly before Thanksgiving in order to alleviate residents’ concerns over dust and debris, and yesterday, after implementing a series of remediation measures, the blasting resumed.
As DNA Info wrote yesterday, residents are cautiously optimistic that the fixes will solve the problem. The MTA says it has expanded the blasting window by an hour in order to allow for more time in between charges. That way, the dust can settle before any blast triggers more debris.
The authority and its contractors have also tried to improve the muck houses — the giant structures along the avenue at 72nd St. — to better minimize the spread of blasting dust. New “Dust Bosses” will spray water on the dust in order to contain it within the muck house, and a burlap curtain will help seal some overhangs and vents.
Initially, residents offered some guarded praise for the new measures. “It’s a dramatic difference,” one said to The Post. “I see a big improvement, and I hope . . . it continues.”
Postscript: I made an appearance on Fox 5′s “Good Day New York” yesterday to discuss the Second Ave. Subway blasting issues. Check out the corresponding story right here and watch the video below.
Transit Blogger Benajmin Kabak: MyFoxNY.com
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Apparently what I’ve wanted to be my entire life is a dust boss in a muck house. Sign me up!
Who hired those moronic newscasters anyway.
Fox did. Greg Kelly is a moron who likes to play dumb to relate to his audience. Rosanna Scotto is a well-established, well-respected veteran, but it looks like she had the day off.
They’ll need more dust mitigation. That dustboss might not be enough. They need solutions designed for hard rock mining and confined space blasting in mind.
Why can’t they use roadheaders with disc cutters? Selectively bore the outline and center. Then jack out remaining pieces with hydraulic and mechanical jacks. Remember rock is strongest in compression, weaker in shear and weakest in tension. This also limits the amount of surface area in action at one time and thus dust to mitigate.
So Mr. (technology) attorney, do you think Mr. Diamond has a case?
100 Million FDNY/DOT
I saw the amount he filed for and sort of laughed out loud at my desk. I’ll have to review his filings. He might have a case that they have arbitrarily and capriciously closed the tunnel without any attempts at making access points safe. The $100 million figure is crazy.