100th Street Bus Depot Is Already Crumbling Apart
When it rains it pours when it comes to the MTA. The agency spent $93 million dollars to build the “100th Street Bus Depot” located on you guessed it, 100th Street between Park & Madison Avenues. The depot was “substantially” completed in 2003 & opened for service in 2004. Now in under 5 short years later, the building is falling apart & needs repairs which will cost approximately $1.1 million dollars. Daily News transit reporter Pete Donohue has more in this report:
The MTA will have to spend more than $1.1 million to shore up a nearly new bus depot that’s already crumbling, officials revealed.
The mammoth $93 million depot on 100th St. between Park and Lexington Aves. – opened in 2004 – is buckling and shedding bricks.
“We will initiate proceedings against the original contractor,” said NYC Transit President Howard Roberts.
To protect pedestrians from being clobbered, NYC Transit – the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s largest division – has surrounded the depot with scaffolding.
A construction company was hired to make emergency repairs to the building’s facade, and outside engineers were called in to devise a permanent fix.
The depot was designed and built by the Perini Corp. and was “substantially completed” in 2003, a staff summary said.
NYC Transit began dispatching buses from the facility the following year, officials said.
At the MTA’s transit committee hearing Monday, Chairwoman Doreen Frasca blasted the contractor for doing “a hatchet job on this building.”
MTA board member Ed Watt, a bus driver and union vice president, questioned whether transit managers did a proper review before signing off on the contract.
Company officials could not be reached for comment last night.
Click here for the complete report.
Lets ignore the fact that these unexpected costs come at a really bad time for the cash strapped agency. What kind of construction was taking place that would lead to a building falling apart in under 5 years? No legitimate construction project should have a finished product falling apart like that in a short time unless the job was not done right to begin with. This obviously seems to be the case here.
If Ed Watt is correct in assuming that transit managers might not have done a thorough review, they should have to be punished & lose their jobs for such a gross oversight. While they are at it, the MTA should look into possibly suing the Perini Corporation for shoddy work. Either way, heads must roll as this situation is completely unacceptable on all levels.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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