Officials: MTA will handle "fragile" 2nd avenue buildings with care

Second Avenue Subway design

When it comes to the construction work on the Second Avenue Subway, the MTA admits it has been short-sighted.

Officials said that they did not properly ensure that buildings along the 9-mile subway line were structurally sound before starting to dig, forcing some tenants to evacuate their homes for weeks.

The MTA pledged to do thorough assessments, particularly of “fragile” buildings, as the construction continues.

“It really proved to be much more problematic and challenging than was originally thought,” Michael Horodniceanu, president of MTA Capital Construction, said recently.
Last year, the digging caused two apartment complexes to become unstable. Landlords and tenants are suing the MTA over the fiasco.

“Of course, once they started doing the work, all these people were out of the street,” said Robin LoGuidice, a lawyer for 14 tenants who were forced to evacuate their building at 92nd Street.

The first stretch of the $4.5 billion Second Avenue Subway, from 96th to 63rd streets, is scheduled to open in December 2016.