July 19, 2007

Asbestos threat unclear; Grand Central still closed

(Update: Grand Central is open and all trains are operating normally. The "frozen zone" is expected to shrink to four blocks by the morning of Monday, July 23.)

The area around Grand Central Terminal remains closed this morning and subways are skipping the station as authorities are still trying to determine whether toxic asbestos covered the 84-year-old steam pipe that exploded Wednesday and killed one person and injured 30 others.

Pedestrian frozen zone: 40th, 41st, 42nd and 43rd streets between Vanderbilt and Park Avenues.

Traffic frozen zone: Lexington Ave. from 34th to 57th streets; 3rd Avenue from 38th to 42 streets; Park Ave. from 34th to 54th streets; 42nd Street from Park to Third; Vanderbilt Ave. from 42nd to 47th.

Transit: 4/5/6 and 7 trains are normal except skipping Grand Central. The Shuttle is canceled between Grand Central and Times Square. Buses are rerouted for the M42, M98, M101, M102, M103 and M104 lines. Metro North is operating, but the terminal must be accessed from specific areas. See the MTA's alerts for the latest.

Safety concern: Anyone exposed should wash with soap and water and save the exposed clothing in a plastic bag for potential testing. Anyone nearby should keep A/C on recirculate, rather than use outside air until an asbestos all-clear has been issued.

Resources: NYC.gov's steam explosion page

Earlier: Steam pipe explosion caused by failed infrastructure
Grand Central evacuated after explosion; not terror

July 19, 2007 06:23 AM in Architecture, Transportology

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