[A fine sidewalk bridge on St. Mark's Place]
The New York Times takes a look at the 280 (!) miles of sidewalk bridges or sidewalk sheds that line the five boroughs.
Though intended to protect passers-by from falling debris, these eyesores known as sidewalk sheds have often become a blight, drawing a barrage of complaints from residents and businesses that they block light and views, attract crime and litter and impede foot traffic along congested sidewalks.
On the positive side, sidewalk bridges make for handy places to drape paintings of naked women with 100 Avenue A written on their bodies to help sell condos...
Anyway, while City Council is considering some legislation targeting scaffolding that stays too long, the DOB has unveiled an online tool to track the city's sidewalk bridges/sheds...
It has taken stock of scaffolding and created an online system to better track the structures at a time when there are more of them than ever as older buildings need work and a construction boom produces more towers. In a sweep last year, building inspectors checked every piece of scaffolding and while most needed to remain for safety, about 150 were ordered dismantled because work had been finished.
The new map marks every building with scaffolding with a color-coded dot showing why the structures went up: red for buildings deemed unsafe, light blue for repairs, dark blue for new construction and green for maintenance work. Clicking on a dot reveals more details, including the date a permit was first approved. The older the scaffolding, the larger the dot.
You can play with the map here.
This is just a screengrab...
Previously on EV Grieve:
Now, for real, final pieces of 6-year-old sidewalk bridge come down on St. Mark's Place
Didn't there used to be a requirement that these bridges have an expiration date attached? There has been an unsightly bridge at the northeast corner of 10th Street and 3rd Ave. for quite a long time.
ReplyDeleteI have tried to find out who the owner is, but haven't been able to do so.
interesting idea however this map may over show sheds for buildings under renovation and not buildings under construction. Big projects still underway like the condo's on Ave A 11-12th street is not shown on this map.
ReplyDeleteCurious. The NYC interactive map shows the "first permit" for the shed at 133 Third Avenue as April 16, 2015. The reality is that the shed has been in place closer to five years. And counting. In that time, the stop work orders and litigation have piled up as fast as the filth and debris from the crumbling sidewalk. Who's in charge here?
ReplyDeleteThey completely missed the shed that's been up on 11th between A and B for over 3 years now, with nary a work crew in sight, ever. And just as A non. 7:39 pointed out, there are no longer permits with expiration dates showing. Another way landlords skirt the law, blight the landscape, and make things crappier for the everyday New Yorker.
ReplyDeleteHow much does it cost to put up, and keep up, one of these bridges?
ReplyDeleteAnother hazard of the sheds can be if people not in the construction crew are able to get up in the shed and throw things down at passers-by. This happens; it happened to me several years ago when two young kids threw a boot down and hit me in the head. Being that their only frame of reference was probably cartoons, they thought it was uproariously funny.
ReplyDeleteOn the upside, these sheds are temporary shelter for the homeless and "travelers."
It's about f'ing time. They should get a time limit: if it's not done, extend the time or get fined. Some of these stay up for years making the sidewalk traffic unbearable.
ReplyDelete"On the positive side, sidewalk bridges make for handy places to drape paintings of naked women with 100 Avenue A written on their bodies to help sell condos..."
ReplyDeleteI heart you and this site. Love the sense of community and I'm always learning new things about the neighborhood.