Post by 45localbus on Jan 28, 2009 22:59:31 GMT -5
Oops!
A staggeringly basic blunder is delaying the grand opening of the MTA's first new subway station in 20 years, the Daily News has learned.
The platform at the $530 million South Ferry station is a wee bit too far from the train tracks, officials confirmed Tuesday.
Recent inspections found gaps between the platform and No. 1 train cars up to 1 inch wider than federal rules allow, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority confirmed.
Riders will have to wait another three to four weeks before they can use the station while workers make some $200,000 in fixes, the MTA said yesterday.
"Oh, my God," sighed Andrew Albert, a riders representative on the MTA board. "That's incredible."
The MTA is conducting a review.
"We're looking to determine who is at fault, and if it turns out to be one of our contractors, then we'll pursue having them cover the cost," MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin said.
The mistake could have been made in the engineering or construction phase.
The station was slated to open in December 2007, but suffered repeated delays.
Just seven weeks ago, MTA brass predicted the station would open this month.
In addition to the too-skinny platform, water continues to leak into the underground station.
A report by the MTA's independent engineering consultant last July said the authority would use grouting in a bid to stem the flow.
Soffin said leaks are common at underground stations and were not causing a delay in the opening.
The Americans With Disabilities Act requires that gaps at newly built stations be limited to 3 inches.
Depending on the location, gaps at South Ferry exceed that by as much as 1 inch and as little as four one-hundredths of an inch, Soffin said.
The platform edges will be extended by installing wider rubbing boards, which protect platforms from damage from trains when they sway from side to side, Soffin said.
Capital Construction Co. President Michael Horodniceanu surprised members of an MTA committee Monday when he couldn't specify when the station would open.
He said tests of fire-safety and other systems were ongoing. The platform issue was not raised.
The project is 80% federally funded and is part of the lower Manhattan recovery effort launched after 9/11.
The existing turn-of-the-century station features platforms on a sharp curve requiring riders be in the first five cars of a 10-car train to exit at South Ferry.
The new station, built underneath the existing station, has a longer platform allowing all 10 cars to open.
Benefits include faster trips, more frequent service and a fully accessible station with elevators, the MTA has said.
Previous delays were caused by the discovery during excavation of historically significant sections of the original Battery wall, and by rising construction costs.
BY PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
January 28th 2009
Link: www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/01/27/2009-01-27_rail_dumb_mta_platform_at_south_ferry_st.html
A staggeringly basic blunder is delaying the grand opening of the MTA's first new subway station in 20 years, the Daily News has learned.
The platform at the $530 million South Ferry station is a wee bit too far from the train tracks, officials confirmed Tuesday.
Recent inspections found gaps between the platform and No. 1 train cars up to 1 inch wider than federal rules allow, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority confirmed.
Riders will have to wait another three to four weeks before they can use the station while workers make some $200,000 in fixes, the MTA said yesterday.
"Oh, my God," sighed Andrew Albert, a riders representative on the MTA board. "That's incredible."
The MTA is conducting a review.
"We're looking to determine who is at fault, and if it turns out to be one of our contractors, then we'll pursue having them cover the cost," MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin said.
The mistake could have been made in the engineering or construction phase.
The station was slated to open in December 2007, but suffered repeated delays.
Just seven weeks ago, MTA brass predicted the station would open this month.
In addition to the too-skinny platform, water continues to leak into the underground station.
A report by the MTA's independent engineering consultant last July said the authority would use grouting in a bid to stem the flow.
Soffin said leaks are common at underground stations and were not causing a delay in the opening.
The Americans With Disabilities Act requires that gaps at newly built stations be limited to 3 inches.
Depending on the location, gaps at South Ferry exceed that by as much as 1 inch and as little as four one-hundredths of an inch, Soffin said.
The platform edges will be extended by installing wider rubbing boards, which protect platforms from damage from trains when they sway from side to side, Soffin said.
Capital Construction Co. President Michael Horodniceanu surprised members of an MTA committee Monday when he couldn't specify when the station would open.
He said tests of fire-safety and other systems were ongoing. The platform issue was not raised.
The project is 80% federally funded and is part of the lower Manhattan recovery effort launched after 9/11.
The existing turn-of-the-century station features platforms on a sharp curve requiring riders be in the first five cars of a 10-car train to exit at South Ferry.
The new station, built underneath the existing station, has a longer platform allowing all 10 cars to open.
Benefits include faster trips, more frequent service and a fully accessible station with elevators, the MTA has said.
Previous delays were caused by the discovery during excavation of historically significant sections of the original Battery wall, and by rising construction costs.
BY PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
January 28th 2009
Link: www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/01/27/2009-01-27_rail_dumb_mta_platform_at_south_ferry_st.html
