Report faults MTA on lax inspections

The MTA has failed to regularly inspect several critical support structures in its subway system -- in some cases going decades without checking on them, a new report said.

The report from the office of Metropolitan Transportation Authority Inspector General Barry Kluger said steel supports on the elevated J subway line, truss bridges, and abandoned stations that serve as supporting structures for active stations, and the concrete Rockaway Viaduct that spans Jamaica Bay in Queens have all been overlooked for years.

"Certainly, the absence of timely inspection increases the risk of serious structural failure," the report said.

Kluger's office recommended that the MTA take all necessary measures to make sure all its structures are safe and their conditions are documented.

In its response, the MTA said the report helped the agency "look at our overall responsibilities related to structural inspections in a way that will help ensure we not only address any/all deficiencies, but also get the maximum benefit" from inspections.