Manhattan parking garage collapse to be probed by forensic engineers hired by NYC
Cars are piled on top of each other at a parking garage that collapsed in lower Manhattan on April 18, 2023. Credit: AP/Mary Altaffer
A forensic engineering firm has been contracted by New York City to figure out why a parking garage collapsed in April in lower Manhattan, according to a public notice this week in the City Record and the Department of Buildings.
The contract, with LERA Consulting Structural Engineers, is for $990,240.47, according to the notice.
“Emergency contract for garage collapse to provide licensed forensic engineers to perform full-time field investigative services. Photographing and documenting structural and foundation elements, preparing structural and foundation plans, reviewing historic records, collecting and processing data, and analyzing structural and foundation components,” the notice says.
The company did not respond to a call for comment on Wednesday.
A person was killed and five others were injured after the garage, at 57 Ann St., collapsed just blocks from New York City Hall. At the time the garage collapsed, six workers were inside; four of them were brought to hospitals. The person killed was a worker in the garage.
In an email, buildings department spokesman Andrew Rudansky said the firm had been selected in 2023, but only this week had the contract been posted in the City Record.
“Following a major incident, such as the 57 Ann Street collapse, it is common practice for DOB to issue an emergency solicitation for private vendors who can perform those service[s] as part of the investigation. For example, we did this after the Worth Street crane collapse in 2016,” which yielded a report spanning 250 pages.
Rudansky added: “This engineering report is part of the larger investigation into the incident, which is being conducted by DOB along with our partners in law enforcement. DOB began investigating this collapse the day it occurred, and our investigation is ongoing. The report that this engineering firm is working on will help determine the various factors that led to and caused the garage collapse.”
Among the factors suspected of causing the cave in: the weight of vehicles parked on the roof deck and old concrete, officials said at the time.
A forensic engineering firm has been contracted by New York City to figure out why a parking garage collapsed in April in lower Manhattan, according to a public notice this week in the City Record and the Department of Buildings.
The contract, with LERA Consulting Structural Engineers, is for $990,240.47, according to the notice.
“Emergency contract for garage collapse to provide licensed forensic engineers to perform full-time field investigative services. Photographing and documenting structural and foundation elements, preparing structural and foundation plans, reviewing historic records, collecting and processing data, and analyzing structural and foundation components,” the notice says.
The company did not respond to a call for comment on Wednesday.
A person was killed and five others were injured after the garage, at 57 Ann St., collapsed just blocks from New York City Hall. At the time the garage collapsed, six workers were inside; four of them were brought to hospitals. The person killed was a worker in the garage.
In an email, buildings department spokesman Andrew Rudansky said the firm had been selected in 2023, but only this week had the contract been posted in the City Record.
“Following a major incident, such as the 57 Ann Street collapse, it is common practice for DOB to issue an emergency solicitation for private vendors who can perform those service[s] as part of the investigation. For example, we did this after the Worth Street crane collapse in 2016,” which yielded a report spanning 250 pages.
Rudansky added: “This engineering report is part of the larger investigation into the incident, which is being conducted by DOB along with our partners in law enforcement. DOB began investigating this collapse the day it occurred, and our investigation is ongoing. The report that this engineering firm is working on will help determine the various factors that led to and caused the garage collapse.”
Among the factors suspected of causing the cave in: the weight of vehicles parked on the roof deck and old concrete, officials said at the time.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
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