Daniel Robison in Buffalo speaks with Jerome O'Connor, P.E. Senior Program Manager in Transportation Research at UBuffalo on how the state's roads and bridges will cope with the high winds and flooding as Sandy moves through.
Jerome O'Connor is a former New York Department of Transportation official who is currently an engineering professor at the University of Buffalo. He says Hurricane Sandy's winds should have no effect on infrastructure but its floods could, though he has confidence in the Empire State's bridges.
"The bridges are designed for an event that might come along once in 50 years or once in a 100 years, it can pass that sort of flood easily."
Plus New York DOT workers will be out in the field as soon as its safe to double-check road and bridges, O'Connor says.
"They have a priority that they go to, they go to the ones that they know are most vulnerable first, and deal with those."
O'Connor based his observations on weather forecasts, but says noone is quite sure what happens until the weather comes and goes.
Meanwhile:
Joseph J. Lohta, the chairman of New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority released the following statement earlier in response to severe flooding in at least six of the city's subway stations.
"The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night. Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on our entire transportation system, in every borough and county of the region. It has brought down trees, ripped out power and inundated tunnels, rail yards and bus depots."
"As of last night, seven subway tunnels under the East River flooded. Metro-North Railroad lost power from 59th Street to Croton-Harmon on the Hudson Line and to New Haven on the New Haven Line. The Long Island Rail Road evacuated its West Side Yards and suffered flooding in one East River tunnel. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel is flooded from end to end and the Queens Midtown Tunnel also took on water and was closed. Six bus garages were disabled by high water."
"We are assessing the extent of the damage and beginning the process of recovery. Our employees have shown remarkable dedication over the past few days, and I thank them on behalf of every New Yorker. In 108 years, our employees have never faced a challenge like the one that confronts us now."
"All of us at the MTA are committed to restoring the system as quickly as we can to help bring New York back to normal."
