Nat’l Grid Construction Leaves Midwood Sidewalk “A Hazard,” Highlights Lack Of Contractor Oversight

A private contractor installed new gas pipes on behalf of National Grid about two months ago on a Midwood block, but residents say they’ve made a dangerous mess of the sidewalk.

According to a report by Brooklyn News 12, a subcontractor for the energy giant had to break open a sidewalk on East 2nd Street to install a gas line. But after the construction, the area was  left hazardous for children and residents, with potholes in the street, trip hazards on the sidewalk, and dust, rubble and debris littering the one-block stretch.

One neighbor is even saying his 5-year-old daughter’s asthma has worsened because of the dust.

National Grid, for its part, told News 12 “that the work is being performed by a subcontractor, and that National Grid crews are not doing any work at the location.” There was no response from the contractor,

According to city regulations, utility companies who tear up streets and sidewalks to maintain infrastructure are responsible for repairing the property. But a lack of oversight and site inspections has allowed contractors and subcontractors to get away with shoddy work.

We’ve written about the issue before, even when it included contractors hired directly by the city. Community Board 15 Chairperson Theresa Scavo has previously called for more oversight, saying that she regularly receives calls from across the neighborhood about such issues. Scavo even brought the issue straight to then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg when he made a rare local appearance in 2011.