Which Brooklyn Subway Stops Are On the Verge of Collapse?
- c/o MTA Inspector General’s report
- “Up close view of deteriorated steel supporting the platform”
J/Z; Cypress Hills station
Located on the Brooklyn/Queens border, this J/Z has been found to have “deteriorated columns and beams in the structure that supports the tracks and signals.” There was also evidence of “75 platform girders with severe deterioration in their top flanges,” which might “not pose immediate danger, but were nevertheless serious and should be corrected as part of a future capital project.” The photo above shows what a deteriorated flange (the horizontal component of the girders that support elevated platforms) looks like. But while that picture looks really scary, the report reassures us that these deteriorating flanges “did not compromise the safety of NYC Transit’s riders or its employees.” So that’s a relief. But, what’s not a relief is the fact that this station had actually been inspected but these problems were overlooked and not reported! It turns out that the inspection team that the MTA hired did not think it was totally necessary because these support beams were only of secondary importance. Luckily, this audit by the Inspector General has prompted the MTA to promise that a new inspection will take place and that inspecting “the elevated station platform supports are a required part of the annual inspection.”