4 more NYC garages shut down in aftermath of deadly parking structure collapse
LOWER MANHATTAN (WABC) -- New York City officials shut down four parking garages Friday "where structural concerns necessitated areas of the buildings to be immediately vacated" in the wake of the deadly collapse in Lower Manhattan.
The four parking garages were found in a proactive sweep of 78 parking structures after the Ann Street parking garage collapse.
The garages shut down include:
"Following the building collapse in Lower Manhattan last week, DOB immediately began reviewing records of structures with parking facilities, in order to conduct targeted enforcement sweeps of similar structures with potential safety concerns or with outstanding DOB-issued violations around the City," a DOP spokesperson said. "This work was done in the interest of public safety, and out of an abundance of caution. During our sweep of 78 parking structures, we found four locations where structural concerns necessitated areas of the buildings to be immediately vacated. These actions were taken by the Department to protect the public, until such time as the building owners can make the necessary repairs."
The announcement came the same day that friends and family gathered for the funeral of Willis Moore, the parking garage manager who died in the collapse.
The 59-year-old is believed to have been in his office on the second floor when the garage came crashing down.
Moore's death and the collapse have drawn new attention to how the old buildings are being inspected.
The demolition and cleanup is going to take a while. Officials have said they don't want to rush it to ensure everyone's safety.
The city's Department of Buildings shared pictures saying they are monitoring to make sure the demolition process does not cause any issues for the nearby buildings or the people living and working close by.
Meanwhile city officials allowed dozens of drivers to rescue their cars on Thursday evening, as they had been trapped in a nearby parking garage for more than a week
Under the watchful eye of city engineers, car after car emerged from the four story garage. None of the retrieved cars had major damage, other than dust and debris from the neighboring collapse.
Drivers closely inspected their cars and took pictures, as an insurance adjuster stood by to answer questions.
The deconstruction of the building is being coordinated with the building department's investigation.
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