The MTA is looking to begin a 14-month renovation of the Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard Station, which services Astoria’s above-ground train line. However, the residents of the Astoria area are unhappy about this proposal because the MTA currently has two of the area’s subway stations fully closed for other renovations and the residents believe the MTA will not be able to complete the renovations of the Astoria-Ditmars station without causing serious service interruptions for an area already experiencing delays.
The planned renovations will include replacement of the leaking roof, unstable stairs, and crumbling concrete slabs. Additionally, the MTA will be working to balance and level the train platforms to eliminate gaps between the platforms and the trains. The MTA claims that there will be little to no service interruptions related to the repairs.
“Projects like this one, outside of the obvious interruptions that will occur regardless of the precautions taken, create work zones with their own inherent dangers,” said Neal A. Goldstein, a personal injury attorney with the law firm of Goldstein & Bashner in New York City. “According to the MTA, this project will take over entire curb areas from a staging standpoint which will create dangerous conditions for pedestrians. Injuries that could arise from improperly staged equipment and incorrectly marked construction zones may create liability for the construction companies carrying out the project.”
The MTA takes the position that these stations, which had not been seriously renovated in nearly 100 years, are just as dangerous to citizens as any construction site, claiming that the extensive repairs are essential to public safety. Regardless of the situation that creates the danger, personal injury claims remain one of the primary ways an injured party can seek recourse in accidents caused by unsafe constructions sites. “Whether someone suffers an injury because of dangerous conditions known to the MTA, or they suffer an injury because of the construction related to the repairs, if the injury was the result of a breach of a duty of care, the injured party may have a right to seek compensation.”
Goldstein and Bashner
