Second Avenue subway plagued with dangerous conditions and safety violations

[Harry 1,078]

 

The Second Avenue subway project has been roundly cursed by upper East Siders for disrupting their quiet streets with dirt and chaos. Below ground it’s even worse. Since contractors began the big dig, the MTA’s $4.4 billion taxpayer-funded megaproject has been plagued by dangerous conditions and lax oversight, a Daily News investigation has found. In the last two years, the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has whacked contractors at the site with 18 safety violations and $61,000 in fines, records show. Three more investigations are pending.

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[Via Garibaldi 8 8,662]

This is the 's fault.  Having worked in the construction industry, I can assure you that the subcontractors will do as they please if their is a lack of oversight.... Just taking advantage of the situation...Why doesn't the have their own GC and/or PM's on site watching over these projects?  It would be cheaper that way rather than having to deal with these headaches.

Edited June 3, 2013 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Grand Concourse 2,690]

Can the blame be placed on the need to go with the lowest bid contracts? seems like if the mta just did more stuff 'in house', they would be better off.

[Via Garibaldi 8 8,662]

Can the blame be placed on the need to go with the lowest bid contracts? seems like if the mta just did more stuff 'in house', they would be better off.

That also and they seem to be in bed with Schiavone which has done nothing but cause headaches... I don't know if they were the favored contractor for this job, but they've been selected for numerous construction projects.  I understand they are big and generally respected in the field, but they've been extremely lax and sloppy, something I would imagine the is partially to blame because of their lax behavior and lack of oversight and accountability.

[QM1to6Ave 1,720]

For such a big job, is this all that uncommon? 

[R10 2952 947]

Indeed, the MTA used to do a lot of stuff in house.  Now the contracts all go to the same guys- Schiavone, Skanska, Judlau.... Corruption much?

Edited June 4, 2013 by R10 1989

[bobtehpanda 5,904]

Indeed, the MTA used to do a lot of stuff in house.  Now the contracts all go to the same guys- Schiavone, Skanska, Judlau.... Corruption much?

 

Did it really? I was under the impression that the projects started in the 60's and 70's were done using outside contractors as well, and the MTA has only been around since '68.

[Art Vandelay 783]

Michael Degnon would disagree with anyone who says that subway construction used to be done by the agency instead of contractors. 

[R10 2952 947]

I speak in the context of rehabilitations done by New York City Transit such as the Marble Hill-225th Street renovation of 1990 and the Franklin Street renovation of approximately 1995.  Both were done in house.  But it's not just station renovations: the R-30s, a number of R-42s and some R-33s all went through general overhaul at the CI and 207th yards. 

Edited June 6, 2013 by R10 1989

[LTA1992 1,326]

I speak in the context of rehabilitations done by New York City Transit such as the Marble Hill-225th Street renovation of 1990 and the Franklin Street renovation of approximately 1995.  Both were done in house.  But it's not just station renovations: the R-30s, a number of R-42s and some R-33s all went through general overhaul at the CI and 207th yards. 

Those things reside in a completely different housing complex than the SAS.

[R10 2952 947]

Those things reside in a completely different housing complex than the SAS.

 

And what difference does that make?

[Art Vandelay 783]

The MTA nor its predecessors have never built their own lines. Since day one it all has been done by outside contractors. 

[bobtehpanda 5,904]

I speak in the context of rehabilitations done by New York City Transit such as the Marble Hill-225th Street renovation of 1990 and the Franklin Street renovation of approximately 1995.  Both were done in house.  But it's not just station renovations: the R-30s, a number of R-42s and some R-33s all went through general overhaul at the CI and 207th yards. 

 

This is sort of like painting the walls of your house vs. actually building it. I'm 100% sure that the MTA does not have geologists or explosives experts on staff, to name a few positions.

 

At the union rate in this city, it'd be prohibitively expensive to have the necessary full time staff of construction experts to see day-to-day expansion efforts, much less enough to manage all the projects they've been given (SAS, ESA, 7 Line Extension). Even if they could afford it, the MTA is too bureaucratic to manage these skilled workers effectively, much less an entire army of construction workers.