The flooded NYC tunnels and subways…the seawater, the corrosion from salt. I worked in that environment: eight of my over twelve years in NYC area construction were in subway and rail work. These are very, very complex systems. We’ve had fresh water flooing of the subways, but never salt water and never this much. I am extremely concerned. There are all sorts of things that salt water would attack; like electrical substations, signals, electrically run track switches, safety phones, fresh air fans…the list goes on and on. The multi-level subway station literally right next to Battery Park, where they had the storm surge of 13.88 feet, would be especially vulnerable but it is in a building. Bowling Green Station is just a couple of lowlying blocks north of that and the entrance is very low and in the open. I hear there is flooding at Union Square/14th Street, and if it gets in to the subway there that is a major hub. There are lots of subway tunnels under the rivers connecting to Union Square Station.
The roadway tunnels like the flooding Battery Tunnel have all sorts of electical things in the walls, too. The most important ones are the fresh air vent fans, but there are also traffic signals, lights, and phone/internet line cables: these are fiber optic but still vulnerable because if the salt water is on it for months, it can weaken the fibers. When they begn to dry out, the salt can crystalize and weaken the fibers, too.
And there are vulnerable emergency services radio “repeaters” all through the under-river tunnels and within a few hundred feet of train stations.
Same goes for the Path Trains under the Hudson River into NYC. Nightmare.
Here is water getting into the NY/NJ subway from a construction site.
Salt Water Puts Subway ‘In Jeopardy’ - Wall Street Journal
- safewrite
