Second Ave. subway construction blast investigation
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Updated:
By KATHY CARVAJAL, Web Producer -
By ARUN KRISTIAN DAS, Web Producer -
By LUKE FUNK, Senior Web Producer -
Photo by Luke Funk/MyFoxNY.com
MYFOXNY.COM -
The MTA's president of capital construction said that steel plates covering the construction site for the Second Avenue subway at E. 72nd Street were not welded shut, allowing a controlled explosion to bust through the surface of the street.
The force of the blast blew out some windows and littered the street with debris, including huge pieces of concrete and rock, and sent a cloud thick dust straight into the air, according to images taken in the moments after the explosion.
The flying debris slammed into sidewalks and buildings, breaking store awnings and smashing several windows as high as three stories up.
Residents and workers in the area expressed outrage that something like this could happen.
Even the MTA's head honcho expressed anger in a statement and called it "completely unacceptable."
"The MTA is investigating what went wrong and will not resume work at the 72nd Street site until we receive a full explanation for what happened and a plan to make sure it does not happen again," said Joseph Lhota, the MTA chairman and CEO. "While I am thankful that no one was injured today, I fully understand why neighbors of the construction site are upset. I am, too. The safety of the community is the MTA's utmost priority. We will continue working with the community to ensure their concerns are heard and acted upon."
A witness told Fox 5 News a large plume of smoke could be seen coming from the site at about 1 p.m.
The plume of smoke appeared much larger than the usual smoke that emits following regular blasting for the new subway line.
The Office of Emergency Management said there are no reported injuries. Responders searched underground and in the debris field to make sure there were no victims in the construction area.
Con Edison and Department of Buildings officials responded to the scene to assess the damage.
Engineers determined there was no structural damage to any of the surrounding buildings.
At least six windows were damaged at 260 E. 72nd St. due debris that landed on the roof.
A vacate order was issued to an art gallery on the ground level.
E. 72nd Street was closed between First and Third Avenues after the blast. At 4:26 p.m., a Notify NYC alert stated that the stretch of E. 72nd Street had been reopened.
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Mayor Michael Bloomberg was a guest speaker at Stanford University’s commencement in Palo Alto, California Sunday. Bloomberg addressed the graduates speaking about immigration reform and said about 30 percent of Stanford’s 5,000 graduates had attended college on student visas. He also mentioned that many of those same students without a way to work in the U.S. legally would have to return to their countries to compete with American companies.
Photo by Luke Funk/MyFoxNY.com
