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Cause Of Mysterious East River Ferry Gangway Collapse Begins To Emerge
By
Lauren Evans
Published Feb 20, 2014
Modified Feb 20, 2014
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Via Alan Tansey
By
Lauren Evans
Published Feb 20, 2014
Modified Feb 20, 2014
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The ramp that connects passengers to the East River Ferry at India Street in Greenpoint plunged into the icy waters earlier this month, claiming no victims but disconcerting plenty of commuters now forced to wonder "Is this the day I'm going to drown on my way to work?"
Ferry reps have assured the public the dock won't return to operation until the cause of the collapse is discovered, and it seems engineers are inching closer to uncovering what happened. The following analysis was posted on the ferry's website last night:
Preliminary inspections by engineers engaged by the owner of the pier reveal that two spud piles that held the barge in position failed. When the piles failed, the barge moved to the west creating a distance between the pier and the barge that exceeded the length of the gangway, with the result that the gangway collapsed. The barge and gangway are designed to move vertically with changes in tides and in the height of the barge. The preliminary findings did not indicate any problem with the gangway itself that contributed to the incident. It has not yet been determined what caused the piles to fail.
Tantalizing. The next step will be for additional dive teams to remove the piles for further examination, but service won't return to Greenpoint until the exact problem is pinpointed. Until then: Shuttle.
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East River Ferry
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Lauren Evans
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