OEM PROVIDES UPDATE ON CITY’S RESPONSE TO STEAM PIPE EXPLOSION IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN

East 42nd Street to Entirely Reopen to Pedestrians, Businesses, and Traffic by Monday's Morning's Commute

City Working Quickly to Further Reduce Frozen Zone for Start of Work Week

Since last Wednesday, the City of New York has worked around the clock at the scene of the steam pipe explosion in Midtown Manhattan. The City’s goal is to quickly allow businesses to reopen, while ensuring that streets and buildings in the area have been inspected for and cleaned of any contaminants.

The City’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) continues to coordinate the response from its Interagency Command Center on Lexington Avenue. The Fire Department (FDNY), Police Department (NYPD), Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit (CAU) and the Departments of Environmental Protection (DEP), Buildings (DOB), Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Small Business Services (SBS) and Transportation (DOT) are all operating from the scene. They are joined by personnel from ConEdison, New York City Transit, Verizon, the Grand Central Partnership and the American Red Cross.

As of 5 a.m. on Monday, July 23, all restrictions on East 42nd Street will be removed. Pedestrians and businesses will be able to access the north and south sidewalks. Vehicles will have free access. The City will be working through the night with the goal of further shrinking the frozen zone by the beginning of the work week.

Following is a list of accomplishments achieved over the past weekend as the City moves to reduce the frozen zone and allow businesses to reopen:

Reduction of Frozen Zone

The City has consistently reduced the area off limits to businesses and pedestrians. The original frozen zone, established in the aftermath of the explosion to ensure the public was kept away from any contaminants, ran from East 40th to East 43rd Streets and from Vanderbilt Avenue to Third Avenue. As cleanup efforts progressed, the City was able to reduce the frozen zone to a four square block area bounded by the north side of East 40th Street, the south side of East 42nd Street, the west side of Third Avenue and the east side of Park Avenue.

* All restrictions on businesses and pedestrians in the area between East 42nd and 45th Streets were ended on Saturday morning, July 21.
* The north side of East 42nd Street was reopened to businesses and pedestrians on Saturday evening, July 21.
* As of 5 a.m. on Monday, July 23, all restrictions on East 42nd Street will be removed. Pedestrians and businesses will be able to access the north and south sidewalks. Vehicles will have free access.

Business Outreach

As restricted areas are reopened and businesses reenter their establishments, SBS has had personnel on scene to provide assistance. To date, SBS’ Business Outreach Team has been in touch with 139 businesses in and around the frozen zone. SBS is also going door to door with the Grand Central Partnership and ConEdison to offer City loans to retail establishments. The zero interest loans of up to $10,000 will not require repayment for the first six months, and applicants for the loans will receive responses within one week of application. SBS will have an on-site presence in the area for loan application and processing.

Businesses seeking assistance should call 212-618-8969 or go to www.grandcentralpartnership.org.

Building and Street Cleaning

Throughout the weekend, the Fire Department has been washing down the facades of buildings in the frozen zone.

Assessment teams from DOHMH, DEP and DOB have visited each building in the frozen zone to inspect properties for contaminants. Any building in which debris has been discovered has been required to have a licensed contractor conduct cleanup work. DEP and DOHMH personnel are on scene to supervise cleanup work and assist building owners in safely reopening their properties as quickly as possible.

The Department of Sanitation has been providing additional trash pickups in the area, as buildings are reoccupied. All trash is decontaminated prior to removal.

Air and Ground Sample Testing

Immediately after the explosion, DEP began to test air and ground samples for possible asbestos contamination. Air sampling is being conducted throughout the cleanup operation. Of the 41 air samples collected by DEP to date, none have tested positive for asbestos. DEP performed 79 bulk ground samples to test for asbestos. 49 of the 79 samples produced negative results for asbestos. Of the 30 that tested positive, 28 revealed trace amounts of asbestos.

Results of all air and ground sampling is available on DEP’s website at: www.nyc.gov/dep

Utility Disruptions and Repair Work

Verizon is working to restore phone service to buildings near the explosion. All cable service repairs within the frozen zone have been completed.

ConEdison continues to work to repair their steam and electrical system, which sustained damage during the explosion.

DEP is working to repair a leak to a water main that was damaged.

Verizon, ConEdison and DEP are working together to coordinate repair work and share contractors to minimize delays and service disruptions.

Monday Morning's Commute

Mass transit is operating without restrictions in the area, as it has since Friday, July 20.

The City has greatly reduced the number of street closures in the area. Roadway restrictions are:

* Lexington Avenue from East 40th Street to East 46th Street
* Park Avenue (Northbound at street level only) from East 40th Street to East 42nd Street
* East 41st Street from 3rd Avenue to Park Avenue
* East 43rd Street and 44th Streets from 3rd Avenue to Lexington Avenue, except for local deliveries

The City of New York will remain on scene until cleanup operations are completed and frozen zone restrictions are lifted. Updates on business and pedestrian restrictions, as well as roadway closures, will continue to be provided.

Information on reimbursements from Con Edison is available at www.coned.com, or by calling 212-460-3221.

CONTACT: Andrew Troisi 718-422-4888