Cloud Hosting

Hours before a Morris Heights building partially collapsed in a heap onto a Bronx street, a contractor hired by the city was performing below-ground water main work across the street, THE CITY has learned.

The vendor, EIC Associates, was working across the street on the block of the collapse earlier in the day, emailed Ian Michaels, spokesperson for the city Department of Design & Construction (DDC), on Tuesday in response to questions from THE CITY.

Its not clear what triggered the collapse of the northeast corner column of the seven-story apartment building on Monday afternoon whose facade had been deemed unsafe in 2020 or whether the water main work played any role whatsoever.

But Michaels said DDC engineers inspected the site on Tuesday and believe that the collapse was not related to the (water main) construction.

DDC officials also participated on Tuesday in a meeting with the Office of Emergency Management, the Fire Department and the Department of Buildings to begin the task of figuring out what happened at 1915 Billingsley Terrace.

None of those agencies believed that the water main work contributed to the collapse, though DOB will ultimately determine the cause, Michaels said.

The buildings department has yet to issue any statements about what they believe caused the accident. On Wednesday DOB spokesperson Andrew Rudansky stated, The investigation is looking at all potential factors that might have contributed to the collapse.

In this case, that could include the stability of the ground under the column that collapsed, the condition of the column itself, and whether the crumbling facade and an ongoing effort to repair it contributed to the calamitous events of Monday.

Rudansky said DOB forensic engineers remained at the scene as the department continued interviewing all the relevant parties, including the owner, any contractors and engineers that worked on the building, and witnesses to the accident.

Richard Koenigsberg, an engineer hired by the buildings owner to bring its deteriorating facade up to code, inspected the site Monday and speculated that the water main work could be a factor given his assessment that the collapse appeared to have occurred at the first floor level.

It looks to be the problem would be at the first floor. I say that because of the way it collapsed, he told THE CITY Monday. It looks like there was a failure of the corner column at the first floor and then the rest came down.

The New York Times quoted an employee of a tax preparation office on the ground floor of the building who said that the collapse occurred moments after a major water leak erupted inside a first-floor market next door.

Asked whether the water main work could have been a factor in the collapse, Buildings Department spokesperson Andrew Rudansky responded, DOBs investigation into the cause of this collapse is ongoing.

Michaels said the water main work which was suspended Monday as the city works to examine and ultimately clear the site took place at the corner of Phelan Place and Billingsley Terrace. The collapse occurred at the corner of Phelan and West Burnside Avenue, just a few yards away.

The construction on that corner is part of a much bigger ongoing $68.8 million project to install new trunk lines that attach to the water mains that connect the area to the citys third water tunnel.

On Tuesday the FDNY announced a thorough search of the rubble caused by the collapse determined that no one was killed or seriously injured. Two people had minor injuries, they said.

Koenigsberg was hired by the buildings owners, 1915 Realty LLC, and inspected the facade of the 46-unit building in February 2020. He deemed it unsafe, discovering cracks in the bricks, fissures under window sills and a bowed parapet. The building was supposed to be repaired but the pandemic hit, and no work started until July of this year.

On Monday Koenigsberg said he does not believe the facade issues or ongoing repairs there caused the collapse, noting that work on the corner that collapsed had ended in late September.

Meanwhile, work continued Wednesday on shoring up the interior of the compromised structure and beginning the process of demolishing the partially collapsed floors now exposed to the elements.

The FDNY ordered tenants of the 47 apartments to vacate the premises, and Rudansky of DOB said the agency will begin escorting them back into their apartments to retrieve personal items once the demolition of the damaged apartments is complete.

Go here to see the original:

As Search Begins for Cause of Bronx Building Collapse, Engineer Says Water Main Work Could Be a Factor - THE CITY