Roosevelt Island Water Main For Blackwell House Leaking Into MTA Vent Shaft Reason For Road Work At Turnaround - Leak Now Fixed

Image of Blackwell Turnaround Road Work

Have you noticed the road work being done at the Blackwell Turnaround recently? Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Vice President Of Operations Fernando Martinez tells us why.

On December 8, 2010, NYC DEP gave us " Three - Day Notice to Cure". DEP discovered that the MTA vent shaft was being flooded by one of RIOC's water main lines. The water line feeding Blackwell House was leaking under the electrical wire bank. Water was getting into the wire bank and through the conduits to the vent shaft. We called a contractor to make the repairs. The water main for Blackwell House wasn't indicated on DEP or on our maps. In addition, the water main was difficult to trace because of an interference from other utilities under the pavement. The job was further complicated by the cold weather, heavy traffic, and a very thick layer of concrete. The contractor was also instructed to install shut off valves for the Blackwell House and sprinkle/fountain water lines. None existed previously. As of today, all of the piping is installed, which was inspected and approved by DEP. Today, the contractor will backfill the trench and cover it with the steel plates. The plates will be set even with the pavement. In the Spring, we will completely restore the road.

Image of Blackwell Turnaround Road Work