While sagas about businesses dominated the morning headlines today, we’ve got buildings and disgruntled residents along Second Ave. today. As The Post reports today, an MTA structural engineering study has found that 51 out of 225 buildings along Second Ave. between 125th and 63rd Sts. are too structurally unsound to withstand underground vibrations from subway construction. To avoid costly and lengthy litigation with negligent landlords, the MTA will pay to shore up these buildings, many of which are 100 years old. “The majority of the buildings we found problematic are really in the northern part,” MTA Capital Construction head Michael Horodniceanu said.
Agency officials said that contractors have fixed up 12 of the problematic buildings and another five are in progress. Still, that leaves 34 buildings that need to be supported and another 18 under examination. While residnets at 1873 Second Ave. will move back in on Nov. 6 (and a Dunkin Donuts will soon reopen), they aren’t happy, and that unhappiness should spread down the avenue as the MTA evacuates more buildings during this structural engineering process. “It was exceptionally frustrating,” an anonymous resident said to The Real Deal. “We got nothing in writing. We always had to call with our questions and the relocation people gave very political answers. They were never straightforward.”
In other Second Ave. subway news, the tunnel boring machine, says Capital Construction, is moving ahead at a pace slower than expected. According to MTA documents, the 20-day average dig for the tunnel boring machine has been just 44.4 feet per day, well under the projected pace of 55 feet. As such, the completion date for TBM Run #1 has been pushed back to Feb. 15, 2011 instead of Jan. 15. Still, the MTA says the project is still slightly ahead of the proposed July 2009 schedule that would see revenue service by the end of 2016.
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Up to 125th St? But Phase 1 doesn’t go nearly that far, and according to this graphic, the TBM won’t even go as far north as 96th St. Many sections of tunnel up there are built already, with the most extensive excavation being at new stations or along 125th St west of 2nd Ave. I’d be disappointed if they are spending money fixing buildings north of 96th Street right now.
As best as I can understand it, they’re doing the surveying now north of 96th St. because it’s cheaper to survey in bulk, but the mitigation work will take place only in the Phase 1 build areas.
Mmm. When (optimistically) phase II gets funded, they can have the building citations out and get the Dept. of Buildings to force the landlords to fix the buildings *before* they start work… sounds wise.
I didn’t know you were a Talking Heads fan, Ben.
They all need highways to help them along.
These bldg problems make me skeptical that anything beyond Phase 2 will ever get built.
The money makes me skeptical that anything beyond Phase 2 will ever get built. South of 63rd St., most of the buildings are much newer and were built in an age of higher engineering standards. They should be OK, but who knows.
Amazing, already the discussion is around Phase 2 and out not being built. You’d think that with some Phase 2 construction already completed that it would at least be completed. Indeed the bar is set so low.
There isn’t any reason why all four phases can’t be separate projects. Why use one tunnel boring machine when you can use four?
Your next post should be “Fear of Subways”
Unfortunately, it’s the money. There is such a reluctance to commit capital funds in this society, unless you’re awash in cash like NJ and can double the capacity of a highway.
If New Jersey is awash in cash, then why is the matter of the ARC tunnel project happening as it is?
So that Christie can look like a budget hawk. Transit riders don’t matter to him.
Maybe a Christie – Palin (or vice versa) ticket for the GOP in 2012 is what will guarantee Obama a landslide re-election.
Palin is the biggest no nothing out there.
She resigned as Governor of Alaska because she figured she could make more money writing and on the lecture circuit. So, can you imagine her asking us to elect her as President?
How long would she stay in the job before resigning?
Of course, if she WERE President, we would all be praying daily for her to resign very soon.
That’s right, the landlords neglected those buildings for decades.
And all along, those landlords must have been aware that sooner or later subway construction was going to take place.
Now, the MTA has to pay for the shoring up of the buildings because litigation with the landlorda would cost even more. The property-owning class always gets off easy.
As I’ve said somewhere else, THE MTA HAS TO BEAR DOWN HARD ON THE CONTRACTORS TO COMPLETE THE RELOCATION PHASE OF THE UTILITIES ASAP. THE SOONER THE UTILITIES ARE MOVED THE SOONER LIFE ON THE SURFACE WILL RETURN TO NORMAL. AT THIS RATE, THE TUNNEL BORING MACHINE WILL BE DONE BEFORE ALL THE UTILITIES ARE MOVED, WHICH WOULD ADD EVEN GREATER COST AND TIME TO THE PROJECT. THE MTA CAN AND SHOULD FIGURE OUT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO FINISH THE UTILITY WORK ASAP.
Here are some more things the MTA and the contractors can do right now:
1) The MTA should require contractors to warehouse and store all buildings materials at a facility away from Second Avenue. Currently, building materials are delivered to the site months in advance of being used. The materials and storage facilities are blocking the retail establishments and are a major cause of blight.
2) All constructions offices, worker break rooms and locker rooms should be located off of Second Avenue. Currently Skanska has a construction office located in a rented space on a sidestreet. All contractors should be required to have their field offices not on Second Avenue. If possible, field offices could be established in vacant storefronts along Second Avenue, thus helping local landlords. Similarly, the Sandhogs locker room and break room could be moved into a storefront (lets say part of what was formally Rainbow, or some other building). Currently it is in the middle of Second Avenue (totally unnecessary) or to #3 (see below)
3) The MTA paid the Parks Department $11 million dollars for use of the playground on 96th and 2nd as a staging area. If needed, pay the Parks Department for use of the adjacent soccer field for the duration of the project. Randall’s Island fields have just been completed. Everyone who wants to play soccer and softball on that one field will still be able to play — on Randall’s Island which is a ten minute walk from 96th and 2nd. The gain to the Parks Department in revenue and the neighborhood to by that area to accept materials that are now blocking Second Avenue would be worth it.
4) When buildings are being shored up, allow only one block of buildings to be shored up at a time. With no more than that one area being fenced at that time. Building shoring is a new line item in the SAS budget. Tie it to a performance bonus. Since so many need to be done. The quicker it’s done the better the bonus (ps. This is not rocket science).
5) For the duration of the project, institute Just In Time (JIT) practices as much as possible. The decking for the launch box appeared to be delivered using JIT methodologies. There should be as little on site or near site storage as possible.
I am sure that top quality managers would find dozens of ways of improving the management of this project. It would help everything, and assure that more projects start and are completed.
In the last couple of weeks, one of the contractors is cleaning up its work zone — and this is improving the quality of life in the neighborhood. J. D’Annunzio & Sons has closed holes that were open for months, moved fencing away from retail areas and cleaned up its work area significantly. It’s not perfect, but it shows what can be done to make life for residents and businesses almost normal.
A perfect example of what can be done is on the east side of Second Avenue between 86th and 85th. There was a construction office there, storage equipment, a port-a-potty, and miscellaneous equipment sitting idle for months. In the course of one day it was all moved out. The fences taken down. For the first time in a year and a half the businesses on that block are without construction. It could have been done a year ago. Still, it’s progress. Also, the new work it’s doing in what is being called a “Center Work Zone” configuration, meaning that the work is being done in the center of the street, leaving the sidewalks unimpeded seems to be using a reasonable amount of space rather than sprawling out unnecessarily for blocks. They also painted excellent walk zebras across the street, limit lines and installed clear signage and traffic signals in intelligent locations. This is a first for this project, and very much welcome. It shows a respect for the people of the neighborhood and a desire to be a good neighbor. It could do an even better job in some other parts of the site, and there are left over construction barriers hanging out unused in the two blocks north of 87th Street that could be removed in less than half an hour.
If all the workzones were as thoughtfully and professionally run as what D’Annunzio has shown it can do in the blocks between 87th and 85th, then Second Avenue would become again something close to decent to live and work in.
If D’Annunzio continues to clean up its area and work diligently and well, then it deserves more work along Second Avenue.
The 96th Station site is something very different. It looks like the war in Afghanistan is being fought there. EECRUZ – TULLY CONSTRUCTION JV has equipment, fencing, open holes strewn everywhere. There are machines in place that haven’t moved for months. If Tully does what D’Annunzio did along between 85th and 86th whole blocks would be free of materials and fencing and should by now have returned to more-or-less normal.
Since the MTA is interested in improving the quality of life for people and businesses on Second Avenue, I suggest its folks look at what D’Annunzio has achieved in its zone in the last two weeks and think about how Tully and the other zones can clean up their acts and remove as much equipment, materials and fencing as possible.
The Moretrench folks have done a significant job cleaning up its area in the last two weeks, as well.
I suggest that the MTA establish Neighborhood Quality of Life and Safety requirements for the Second Avenue contractors and hire a compliance officer to walk the entire site each day.
D’Annunzio has shown what can be done. The other contractors and the MTA are certainly able to do the same. Will they?
[…] weeks ago, I reported on some goings-on above ground at Second Ave. The MTA was set to allow residents of 1873 Second Ave. to move back into their […]