8
BROOKLYN WEEKLY, NOVEMBER 24, 2019
BY VINCENT BARONE
Years of negligence and “serious
fl aws” in inspection techniques led
to the high-profi le, partial ceiling
collapse in the Brooklyn Borough
Hall station last year, according to
a new audit.
The report issued Tuesday
from the MTA’s inspector general
found that the transit authority
had identifi ed the defects that led
to the collapse two years earlier, in
2016. But inspectors failed to grasp
the seriousness of the degradation
because of a lack of expertise in inspecting
the decorative terra cotta
tiles adorning the century-old station.
But the MTA had also been
aware for nearly a decade that it
didn’t have the proper knowledge
to assess those more uncommon
subway fi xtures; the inspector general
released two previous audits
on the matter—once in 2010 and
again in 2012—following a similar
collapse of brick ceiling of the
181st Street station in Washington
Heights.
“It is extremely fortunate that
no one was seriously injured in the
Borough Hall ceiling collapse last
June,” said MTA Inspector General
Carolyn Pokorny in a statement.
“Had the recommendations
issued in our 2010 report been
fully implemented, it is likely that
the extensive station damage and
costly repairs could have been reduced,
if not prevented.”
Pokorny’s offi ce found the MTA
inspectors falsely determined
that immediate repairs were not
required at the Borough Hall station—
despite repeatedly noting its
deteriorating ceiling.
The incompetence and negligence
led the MTA to spend an “exorbitant”
$8.3 million in a likely
unnecessary emergency repair
involving the installation of a temporary
protective shield over the
platform and tracks, according to
the OIG. One commuter suffered a
minor injury and refused medical
attention, the MTA and FDNY reported
at the time.
The inspections are the responsibility
of the MTA’s “Maintenance
Of Way” (MOW) engineers.
Pokorny’s offi ce has recommended
that the MTA train those inspectors
to identify and document unusual
construction and materials
during their work; that those
workers should be required to disclose
when they can’t assess materials
and seek outside consultants
when necessary, among other proposals.
Pokorny’s offi ce said the IG had
urged the MTA to seek outside consultants
One commuter suffered a minor injury and refused medical attention in a partial
ceiling collapse at the Borough Hall station in Brooklyn in 2018.
Photo by Eric Chan/Twitter
for unusual construction
materials in its 2010 report, but
the authority has been reluctant to
do so. Terra cotta work is present
in 13 of the MTA’s 472 stations, according
to the IG.
The MTA in its response agreed
with the recommendations. It said
it has begun working to institute
special procedures for inspecting
special features and new internal
audits will take place each quarter
to make sure those procedures are
being followed.
“For years the MTA has been
using outside consultants to perform
special structural inspections
and surveys, in addition to
NYC Transit inspections that occur
annually,” said MTA spokesman
Tim Minton in a statement.
“When the century-old Borough
Hall station ceiling proved defective,
engineers assessed the materials
involved, shielding the
structure, until a full rehabilitation
could begin as part of the
new capital plan.”
MTA negligence, inspection
fl aws led to Borough Hall
ceiling collapse: Audit
RESTAURANT
COLANDR EA
FOUNDED OVER
83
YEARS
��������������������������������������������������������������
����������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Voted Top 5 Best Old Fashioned Italian-American
Restaurant in Brooklyn by Critic Robert Sietsema
��������������������������������������
������������������������������
$39.00*
����������������������������������������������������
$33.00 ������������������������������������������
������������������������������������������������
$36.00
$21.75
��������������������
$27.75* ��������������������������
����������������������������������������������������������
��������������������������������������������������������������������
��������������������������������
������������������������������
COMPLIMENTARY GLASS OF WINE OR SODA
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
*
����������������������������������������������������
New York
EST. 1936
DINNER SPECIAL
$30.75
4 Course Dinner
Monday - Wednesday
3-10pm
glass of wine
or soda
Is Now Considered A Landmark
WE ARE NOW TAKING RESERVATIONS
FOR THANKSGIVING DAY
Catch All NFL & NCAA Football Games Here