Local Opposition Prevails in Battle Over Subway Emergency Ventilation Plant in New York

Neighborhood opposition kills an infrastructure pipe dream in New York City.

1 minute read

March 13, 2017, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Manhole Steam

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"The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has shelved a plan to build a ventilation plant underneath a stretch of Park Avenue in Murray Hill after neighbors rallied against it," reports Noah Hurowitz.

The project would have constructed a ventilation plant underneath Park Avenue near East 37th or East 38th Street, and could still be added to a future MTA five-year capital plan. Hurowitz also reported on the proposal in June 2016.

The ventilation plant would serve a section of track between stations at 33rd Street and Grand Central Terminal, needed in the event of a fire or smoke emergency. That section of track is currently without such a ventilation system. Opposition, led by the group Save Murray Hill, argued that the MTA was looking for a way to spend spare capital investment cash on a non-pressing issue. The need for a ventilation plant was identified in 1994, but planning on the project only began last year.

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