NY subway cars find new life on ocean floorPublished: Sunday, 18 May, 2008, 05:46 AM Doha Time

[Judi Lynn]

NY subway cars find new life on ocean
Sunday, 18 May, 2008, 05:46 AM Doha Time

OCEAN CITY, Maryland: After four decades carrying millions of New Yorkers, 44 of the city’s subway cars are now home to millions of fish. The worn-out cars were dumped on Friday into the Atlantic Ocean, 21 miles off the Maryland coast, to create an artificial reef, designed to attract fish for the state’s lucrative sport-fishing industry.

“These reefs provide quality habitat for marine life off our coast which benefits not only the environment but also local businesses,” said Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan.
(snip)

Any environmentally hazardous materials including PCBs and petroleum lubricants were removed from the cars by the MTA at a cost of $8,000 per car to comply with federal government regulations. The nonprofit Ocean City Reef Foundation paid $600 per car to transport them 30-hours from New York City to create the reef.

In their final resting place – where they are expected to last 40 years or so – the subway cars begin another useful life, Gary said. “It’s hard to believe they were in service as little as 10 days ago.” –

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=218990&version=1&template_id=43&parent_id=19

[Tunkamerica]

1. this was on our local news, pretty cool n/t

[dipsydoodle]

2. Great idea

Much much larger scale version of using bundles of tyres weighed down with concrete in lakes to eventually form natural habitats and also help protect young fish from predators.

[Berry Cool]

3. A big piece of the old Cleveland Stadium was placed in Lake Erie to serve the same purpose.

It is probably hosting more life now than it did in most of its career as a ballpark.

[Javaman]

4. sounds like the new location for morons* library. nt

[Kolesar]

5. Last time this was posted, the collective opinion was that they should have recycled the metal

Nobody could figure out how to shred them and deal with the asbestos. That seems absurd to me. Here I am, saving bent coathangers and old nails so that I can get them to the recycling center.