About 1,400 bus shelters across New York City have been cordoned while a private company conducts safety inspections, a spokesperson said Monday evening. It comes after a shelter on Staten Island partially collapsed earlier this month.
The company, JCDecaux, a city transportation contractor, said it anticipates most of the shelters will reopen within a week.
JCDecaux said no one was injured when the Staten Island bus shelter partially collapsed October 5 because of corroded bolts. That shelter was reportedly located on Van Duzer Street and Victory Boulevard.
The company said a previous franchise installed about 2,500 of the shelters in 2006.
Three percent of the first 1,000 shelters JCDecaux inspected were revealed to have corroded bolts, but those have since been repaired and reopened, the company said.
JCDecaux said it will also inspect 1,000 newer shelters.
"Bus riders deserve the best level of service whether it be on the bus or when waiting in a bus shelter. DOT expects JCDecaux to keep the city's bus shelters safe and well maintained. We will hold the contractor accountable for making these fixes expeditiously. We agree with their current actions and will monitor to make sure the shelters are inspected and returned to operation in a safe manner," the transportation department said in a statement.
Commuters cannot sit in the shelters while they are cordoned off, but bus service is not affected.
JCDecaux operates about 3,500 New York City bus shelters overall. The contractor said commuters can expect it to make any required repairs by the end of the month.