Comment EI-16661
Received or sent (printed as 4/2/2009)
The STB must perform an EIS immediately on the Sixth Street Embankment structure. I bought my home in Hamilton Park six years ago. I am a first time homebuyer and I am thrilled to be a resident of the neighborhood. I feel very proud of my historic home and have spent endless hours stripping the woodwork and repairing the plaster walls, ceilings and moldings. The foundation of my home and adjacent 19th Century neighbors bears on a stone rubble foundation which supports the brick party walls. Interior framing is wood timbers bearing on the brick party walls. Although the party wall separating my home from my neighbor is three or four wythes of brick I feel and hear the vibration of the joists when they walk up their interior stairs. The street front and rear yard facades of our homes deteriorate over time as the bricks and mortar are exposed to moisture and freeze and thaw cycles. Interior repairs to these walls loosen the dry mortar and for days afterward I hear sand falling between the lath and plaster finish of the wall. The brownstone materials around the first floor windows and stoops are brittle and have probably been saved by layers of paint or the glues of the 1970s brick face that conceal them. My home was standing when the embankment was built in 1901. Very little information is known about the construction of the embankment other than that the elevated metal tracks remained in operation throughout the raising of the stone retaining walls and are likely buried inside the Embankment. The interior was likely filled with dirt and loose materials dumped from freight cars. In spite of the 100+ years that have passed since the construction of the embankment, construction demolition technologies have hardly changed since the time of the Romans. Basic demolition technology is limited to hitting a structure until it fails or pulling it apart piece by piece. Unless protected, adjacent parts of the structure and adjacent structures are undermined by the battering. Removal of the dirt fill and loose debris requires use of a front loader or excavator, which will need to be installed on the public streets dangerously close to our homes or lifted onto the top of the embankment. Removal of the tremendous stone blocks that form the retaining walls of the embankment will require shoring of adjacent sections, removal of infill materials and lifting of the stones one by one for removal. At some point the structure will simply be rammed with heavy objects until it breaks. The vibration caused by the removals will be significant. I have not even mentioned concerns over noise, debris, dust, and the release of hazardous materials into the environment. The STB must prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the entire structure. The EIS should address the environmental impact of any demolition approach. The plan should include proposed shoring methods for the Embankment and neighboring buildings, the locations of sidewalk bridges, heavy equipment and street closures should be identified. The EIS should include a photo survey of the exterior and interiors of all buildings within 200 feet and to call for vibration monitoring of those homes for the entire demolition and construction period, should such happen. Aside from the noise and debris associated with any construction project, the wear and tear on the city streets from heavy equipment traffic, and the potential for damage to the city sewer, water and gas mains caused by vibration and impact, I am convinced that the demolition of the embankment will lead to the subsequent damage and ultimately the demolition of many of the historic homes in the neighborhood.
Submitted by: Susan Wright · Jersey City, nj
The Board publishes this comment in its environmental-comment table for this proceeding. It is quoted here as printed; nothing is inferred from it, and it states the commenter's own position in their own words, not this record's.
Permanent address docketyard.org/d/AB-167/sub/1189X/comment/EI-16661 · back to the docket sheet