June 19, 2018 By Tara Law
The MTA announced today that it will begin to remove crumbling lead paint and fix structural issues on the elevated 7 line between 82nd Street and 103rd St. next month
The work will take two years to complete at a cost of $43 million, according to NYC Transit Authority President Andrew Byford, who held a press conference at the Roosevelt Avenue-Jackson Heights station this morning.
Upon the completion of the two-year project, the MTA will make similar repairs to the Woodside and Sunnyside sections of the 7 line.
The MTA is hiring specialists to remove the paint “down to the metal,” Byford said. They will then apply three coats of paint and complete structural repairs to the line as necessary,
The MTA has been subject to harsh criticism from residents following a study that found that the crumbling paint contained dangerous levels of lead.
A study by District Council 9 International Union of Painters and Allied Trades found that the paint chips contained lead levels of 244,000 parts per billion–50 times in excess of the legal requirements.
Lead abatement treatment is required when levels reach 5,000 parts per billion.
The lead paint must be removed in stages, Byford said, since there is so much dirt as well.
“It’s not easy because we’re talking about elevated structures… that have decades of lead paint on them, decades of dust and dirt, and this needs to be very, very carefully cleaned off,” said Byford.
Congressman Joseph Crowley, who attended the press conference, said that removing the paint will also help the MTA to see what repairs need to be made to the trestles.
“It’s more than just painting. When you’re painting this line, you see the structural issues up close,” Crowley said. “You can’t just simply paint over old paint….or bad concrete.”
Council Member Danny Dromm, who was also there for the announcement, said that the project will reduce the threat of lead poisoning in the neighborhood.
“It’s not just an aesthetic issue, it’s a ridership issue and a health issue,” said Dromm.
Byford also confirmed that the long-awaited digital communications system, CBTC, will be installed on the 7 train by the end of this year. The signal system will enable the MTA to run trains closer together, and add more trains to the line.
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12 Comments
Bike lanes, not bike highways. And I don’t think they will be set off by dividers it at least they are a start. One of the few Bloomberg enviro sustainability measures DB seems to be actively pursuing.
this should have been done when bloomberg was in office.
I don’t see the need to spend 44mil on repainting the structures that have lead outside. That’s an expensive price to pay for being scared
Jacksonman I would explain the neurological effects of lead poisoning to you, but judging by your IQ I think it’s too late.
Good one
What’s next in a Queens Post newspaper, a picture of Joe Crowley taking out his trash accompanied by Costa Constantinides and the DSNY Commissioner? If the Queens Post news outlets have integrity, you will either labelled these recent “news” stories as “branded content” or find out exactly what Joe Crowley did regarding funding for the Woodside Library and lead paint removal on the 7 line, and why Jimmy Van Bramer and Danny Dromm decided to hold news conferences with Joe Crowley one week before the primary on matters that Crowley appears to have nothing to do with and which could have been publicized on June 27th, after the primary. While you are at it, please find out why in the world NYC Transit Authority President Andrew Byford is standing next to Joe Crowley on Roosevelt Ave to publicize a project already announced weeks ago, at a time when almost all the subway lines in Manhattan were shut down or disrupted due to a power failure? People of the 14th Congressional District, please help alleviate the embarrassment that Messrs. Van Bramer, Dromm, Walcott and Byford, and other local officials, must be suffering with having to be used as props by Joe Crowley and vote for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on June 26th!
John O’Reilly – If Ocasio-Cortez gets in she’ll have to do the very same thing concerning photo ops, it’s a part of the job. Stop belly aching. You may want to make nice with publications like the Queens Post if your candidate gets elected. Oops, I just saw the very same press release in this article on channel 7 news. You better get on the computer or phone and express your out rage.
Fortunately there are laws covering this “photo op” and the sham event at the Woodside Library, and we will soon find out if those laws were violated. What’s with you Crowley people, afraid to use your full name?! Lacking the courage of your convictions, just like your candidate. People are catching on to his act real fast: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/opinion/joseph-crowley-alexandria-ocasio-cortez.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share
She backs DeBlasios bike highway plans through small residential neighborhoods. A vote for her is a vote against Sunnyside.
Bike lanes. And I don’t think they will be set off by dividers it at least they are a start. One of the few Bloomberg enviro sustainability measures DB seems to be actively pursuing.
Oh! It’s Joe! Another photo op!
It’s fun seeing him squirm a bit with a Primary opponent, eh? I don’t think he’s spent this much time in his district since he ACTUALLY lived here!