FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM AUGUST 29, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
More steel debris falls off 7 line in Woodside
BY MARK HALLUM
mhallum@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th ings keep falling apart on — and off
of — the elevated 7 line in Woodside,
with the latest incident of plunging debris
coming in the form of a steel chunk that
dropped near the 52nd Street station this
week.
On Aug. 21, Councilman Jimmy Van
Bramer tweeted a photo of a large piece of
steel that fell to the sidewalk between 51st
and 52nd streets in Woodside.
Now the MTA tells the Queens Courier
they plan to extend netting that currently
only exists around the 61st Street –
Woodside Station to protect motorists
and pedestrians from debris commonly
known to fall by those living and working
along Roosevelt Avenue.
“Th e object that fell refl ects no structural
risk but is obviously a serious matter.
Th is area was re-inspected today to
ensure that there are no other loose pieces
there,” an MTA spokesman said. “Th is has
the full attention of President Byford who
had already expedited the netting process
by ordering a systemwide cost and priority
analysis while the four-location pilot is
underway. A comprehensive inspection in
March found no issues.”
Th e four-location pilot started in July
and is a system of netting currently protecting
people around the Woodside station,
The MTA ignores a Freedom of Information request from QNS as falling debris continues pose a threat to safety along the 7 train.
which Van Bramer began calling for
in February.
Th e MTA contested that netting would
prevent their workers from being able to
reliably inspect the structure, but fi nally
relented.
“We take reports of fallen debris from
our elevated structures very seriously,
because the condition of these structures
is critical to safe train service and
the safety of our neighbors,” NYC Transit
President Andy Byford said in July. “We
are encouraged by the possible viability
and off -the-shelf availability of this netting
to provide peace of mind to those
who traverse streets below our tracks, and
will continue our rigorous inspections of
these structures, which are oft en struck
by vehicles and exposed to highly varying
conditions year-round that can speed
deterioration.”
But debris has been falling for months
now, and the MTA’s repeated inspection
eff orts only seem to result in more incidents
where metal – and even a wooden
beam – continue to shower cars below.
Th e Queens Courier has fi led a
Freedom of Information request with the
MTA to view inspection records regarding
the 7 train as the agency claims
workers survey the tracks on foot from
the ground and from the trestle at least
twice a week.
But the agency has been slow to produce
Courtesy of Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer/Twitter
these records with the latest follow-up
email from our newsroom being entirely
ignored by the Freedom of Information
offi cer, Richard Harrington, assigned to
the task.
One vehicle in late February was pierced
through the windshield by a wooden
beam on the east side of the station – up
above are more slats – and an incident on
March 6 in which a piece of rusted metal
dropped onto the roof of another car.
Since then, there have been several
other incidents, including one in Long
Island City and another in June by the
52nd Street stop which nearly landed a
two pedestrians as they crossed the street
nearby.
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