NYC Subway-Station-Turned-Fish-Tank Poses $600 Million Dilemma

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) In March 2009, Elliot Sander stood in Lower Manhattan outside South Ferry, New York’s newest subway station. Addressing a crowd, the head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority hailed it as the first major transit project to open downtown since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“This artistically beautiful and highly functional station is a tangible reminder that when the MTA is provided with adequate capital funding, we build monumental works that will benefit generations of New Yorkers for many decades to come,” Sander said that day.

Three-and-a-half years later, the station lies in ruins. A tidal surge from Hurricane Sandy Oct. 29 turned it into what current MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota called a “large fish tank.” Dispatch equipment was destroyed, tiles ripped from the wall and surfaces coated with East River muck. The state agency pegs the rebuilding cost at $600 million, making it one of the most expensive items on its $5 billion damage list. The price tag doesn’t include fortifying against future flooding.

What to do about South Ferry, eight stories underground and only 400 feet (122 meters) from the river, is at the center of a debate over the prudence of rebuilding in a flood zone. For some mass-transit advocates, the destruction shows the importance of investing in new flood protection now in order to save money down the road. Others question if the MTA, the biggest U.S. transit agency, should rebuild at all. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-06/nyc-subway-station-turned-fish-tank-poses-600-million-dilemma.html

[srican69]

1. And Bloomberg ( the mayor) doesnt want a sea wall ..

I guess he doesnt want anything that will impede his helicopter access ( I am referring to the 34th st Heliport that will likely be removed)

[Hassin Bin Sober]

2. How hard would it have been to provide flood protection?

Not $600 million hard.

They were warned:

Columbia’s Deodatis also warned the MTA about a year ago that stations such as South Ferry were vulnerable to flooding.

“It was an issue of essentially getting the funding to do upgrades,” he said. “The people at the MTA said, ‘This makes sense, we don’t have any objections to your system.’ Since then, I haven’t heard back.”

[Old and In the Way]

3. Seems like an opportunity to "go big" for NYC

Bloomberg should take the lead and offer a 21st Century vision of how NYC has to transform to deal with climate change - It has to include a whole new transportation infrastructure for NYC. Let Wall Street help pay for it....is it not in their best interests to keep Wall Street #1 in the financial world? Re-engineer the entire city. Flood-proof buildings (below ground and entry level above ground) to minimize damage. Go above ground, using existing lanes to construct the transit lines and maintain their power /control management systems above ground. Use the abandoned transit system for commercial trucking, servicing the city without clogging up the streets. Go Green with a lot of focus on solar/wind to provide power and public LED lighting in the city. Ground level should be limited to bikes, electric vehicles, pedestrian only.

This storm should be the wake-up call and Bloomberg could be the right guy to make it happen. Think of the jobs involved with the physical transformation of NYC into the world's leading 21st century mega-city for reorganizing and thriving in the reality of global warming.

In many ways, New York is our country's leading city....what better way to send a message to the rest of the country on how we reinvent our economy by adapting to the realities of climate change?