Having accumulated over $24,000 — and counting — in fines, the MTA has begun repairs on the roof of the Michael J Quill Bus Depot at 525 11th Avenue. The penalties from the State Labor Department have arisen due to the MTA’s failure to address cracks and potholes that raised concerns over a possible “cave-in hazard“, first reported in July 2022.
Last year, city officials clamored to find space for displaced MTA buses after the depot, which takes up a city block between W40th and W41st Streets and 11th/12th Avenues, was believed to be potentially compromised. The roof of the depot serves as a parking garage for around 120 buses along with 16 electric bus charging stations. Currently, repair work can be seen taking place on more than one-third of the bus depot’s roof area.
In a violation notice acquired by the Daily News dated August 23, the MTA owed $24,408 for failing to fix problems identified during an inspection on March 8, 2022. The total will increase by $108 every day until the MTA resolves the issue.
“The walkaround inspection of the roof area revealed excessive amounts of trip and fall hazards due to the roof’s floor having large amounts of cracks and potholes. … There were some holes in certain areas of the roof where the rebar was visible,” wrote inspector Kwo Lam. The MTA maintains the building is safe to work in.
The Department of Labor received initial complaints about the bus depot in February of 2022, which focused on improper training and lighting issues but inspectors later found violations not alleged in the original document, including damage to the depot’s parking lot roof.
The Department of Labor also flagged the bus depot with four employee safety violations last November. “There were some holes in certain areas of the roof where the rebar was visible,” inspectors wrote. “The roof was observed to be uneven, with water accumulating in certain areas.”
“Safety is a top priority at the MTA. We have completed repairs on most of the issues raised and are on schedule to complete this project by the end of the year,” MTA Spokesperson David Stecke told W42ST yesterday.
The State Department of Labor has set a January 5 deadline for the MTA to address the problems. If the MTA fails to resolve the issues by that date, the matter will be escalated to the Attorney General’s office for potential legal action.
The Michael J Quill Bus Depot operates the following bus routes: M8, M9, M12, M20, M21, M22, M42, M50, M55, M57, M72 along with the select bus service routes: M14A, M14D, M23, M34, M34A, M79, and M86.
Earlier this year, a parking garage in Lower Manhattan collapsed, killing one person and injuring five others, sparking concern over other garage structures across the city.