Thousands of city streets are being torn up by utility firms making repairs without permission, city records show.
The number of fines levied against Con Ed, KeySpan Energy and smaller construction companies for illegally chopping up streets has risen 130% over the past five years, from 937 in 2008 to 2,153 in 2013, according to records obtained via a Freedom of Information Law request filed in November.
“It certainly contributes to lousy pavements in the city. And the conditions of the streets are directly related to safety,” said AAA spokesman Robert Sinclair.
City Department of Transportation honchos say the increase in violations is due in part to more work being done on the streets and inspectors fanning out across the five boroughs, hunting for unsanctioned, pavement-busting projects.
In 2010, the city beefed up fines, to $1,500 from $800, for jackhammering on streets without a permit.
But the number of violations has steadily gone up despite the souped-up penalties, the data reveal.
Since 2008, the city has hauled in $13.5 million from bad-behaving utilities, records show.
Con Ed, the city’s largest utility, has been hit with the most fines over the past two years, the records show.
9 comments:
Streets in NYC used to last a lifetime now less than a decade.
How does one just tear up a city street without permission ?
A decade is to kind,There are streets in south queens that get destroyed after a month
These puny fines are a joke, and they are tax-deductible items for the companies.
the streets are not being torn up by utility firms to make repairs, but to expand the network to handle more development.
as they have to go in for repeated work on various utilities, things are slapped together.
you don't see torn up street along the waterfront development.
'Anonymous said...
How does one just tear up a city street without permission ?'
Well if you drop your keys in the pothole and then they fill it up how else would you get your keys back? Not like you can just make copies in case something like this happens - they all say DO NOT DUPLICATE
Lefferts Blvd between Liberty ave and Atlantic ave. Water mains installed in past 3 months, just finished a few weeks ago. Entire trench cut is collapsed , in some places several inches. Numerous pot holes, some very deep. Just report again to 311 today.
Somebody's been watching Ghostbusters II.
'the streets are not being torn up by utility firms to make repairs, but to expand the network to handle more development.
'
You have a source on this? Or is it rampant speculation blaming everything you don't like on immigrants and developers?
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