Massapequa and Wantagh Station Renovations

[bellstbarn]

I visited the new Wantagh platform this afternoon, 2.27.2018, to see Train 131 board about 30 passengers in the first six cars. The stop at the 6-12 marker was precise, and a platform guard (or whatever title, in orange LIRR vest) was at the rear of the sixth car. A few minutes later maybe a hundred travelers poured off Train 1052, some to the elevator most to the two stairs at Beech Street.
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Matt, there are five benches, no advertising, many trash cans, and colorful beach drawings high up on the waiting room windows. One set of Train Announcement signs is hanging near the stairs to the west side of Beech Street. Milepost 28 needs replacement with something that will last.
Joe McMahon

[MattAmity90]

Of course the lighting is working because we can't have a dark platform! I know the canopy and waiting room lights are wired because that would be a given, but were platform light poles (the ones with the same design at Seaford and Massapequa) erected in between the canopies as part of those materials?

[bellstbarn]

Matt, as of 7:30 this evening, the lights on the east half of Wantagh were working, a brilliant white (with a hint of blue), as one sees from LED's. A lot of cash has gone into station illumination on the Montauk Division where new stations were built. The west half was dark. I contrast the color at Wantagh with the orange or peach produced by sodium vapor lights at Seaford. Yes, at Wantagh the lights on the stanchions between the canopies were working. I was particularly glad to see illumination of the narrow walkway adjacent to the waiting room and the stairs.
Joe

[MattAmity90]

Matt, as of 7:30 this evening, the lights on the east half of Wantagh were working, a brilliant white (with a hint of blue), as one sees from LED's. A lot of cash has gone into station illumination on the Montauk Division where new stations were built. The west half was dark. I contrast the color at Wantagh with the orange or peach produced by sodium vapor lights at Seaford. Yes, at Wantagh the lights on the stanchions between the canopies were working. I was particularly glad to see illumination of the narrow walkway adjacent to the waiting room and the stairs.
Joe

All I needed to hear, and it sounds like you're telling me that the new Eastern half looks like a gem in the night, a beautiful sight. I know that the Wantagh platform signs are already installed on the side of the staircases, and the waiting room.

[bellstbarn]

Wantagh, looking east by sphoto33, on Flickr

The building with the red roof shows up in vintage 20th century photos with lettering on the roof.

Wantagh, looking east by sphoto33, on Flickr

Will the MTA decide to replace this corroded milepost with a durable marker? Thanks to Steve Lynch for identifying it as Milepost 26.

Wantagh, looking east by sphoto33, on Flickr

Wantagh, looking east by sphoto33, on Flickr

[workextra]

That milepost is actually 26. The rust and decay is so bad you’d blink and think it’s 28.
The real MP28 is actually around the east end of Massapequa station and is completely missing.
Anyone want to discuss the milepost- start a milepost thread for that.
Hopefully the repairs to the cracked and patched concrete last and not fail within a few years.
With heavy useage, salt air, and LI winters It wouldn’t surprise me if the repairs fail.

[bellstbarn]

Workextra,
I have no experience doing concrete work, but the new platform does have blemishes. No cracks, but places where it appears that patchwork was done.
Joe

[nyandw]

Anyone want to discuss the milepost- start a milepost thread for that.

Sure start it!

[MattAmity90]

Workextra,
I have no experience doing concrete work, but the new platform does have blemishes. No cracks, but places where it appears that patchwork was done.
Joe

I can see the dark patches, but at least there are no cracks and that's key. I think though that Wantagh suffered corrosion much faster because of its proximity to Jones Beach. My Mom worked at McDonald's when she was 16, and she would go up on the platform for a smoke break and she nearly tripped numerous times. This was back in 1978! so even 10 years after the station was elevated it started to develop bumps and some cracks.

It didn't help that it felt like Siberia this past winter for several consecutive days which affected the heating system installation for the platform. We've come a long way since with materials with several polymers that have higher tolerances, and better resistance. The new platform doesn't have to look perfectly clean, I'm pretty sure Seaford and Massapequa had blemishes.

[workextra]

I’m not a concrete specialist. I can tell you that salt,regardless of it being sea salt or ice melt does a number to concrete over the years. The issue here is the fact that the slab is not “wholel” it’s been breached. It’s got these patches of concrete and probably some other adhesive additive to fill the voids created by by the pipe burst. These areas likely will be the locations of future premature failure of the new platform and will necessitate costly repairs “or” generate the need to replace that full slab sooner then it otherwise would need replacement.
The salt air will further contribute to the problem. We have not even gotten into the temperature swings and the trains shaking daily either. Nor the foot traffic.
All in all it looks nice. Mostly modern platforms now.
Freeport, Babylon and RVC next? All 3 are pretty bad.

[MattAmity90]

I'm shocked that Amityville, Copiague, and Lindenhurst haven't seen any wear and tear because of their close proximity to the water. Hopefully they used the same techniques as Massapequa and Seaford. Platform looks fantastic for the hard input they put into it, and when they replace the Western half hopefully they discover something that could be used in the future, such as a sealing and resurfacing combo WITHOUT plates.

[MNCRR9000]

Latest update in NewsDay regarding the construction many rides not happy with the progress and state of the construction.

The Long Island Rail Road said it is addressing rider concerns about the $24 million Wantagh station renovation, including complaints that repairs of cracks on a new concrete platform are shoddy and the project is taking too long.

Nearly two years after the project began in spring 2016, the LIRR last month reopened the east end of the platform and unveiled several upgrades, including new digital signs, elevator, platform waiting room, lighting and concrete platforms.

When the project began, LIRR president Patrick Nowakowski promised that “Wantagh Station is going to look spectacular when this project is complete.”

However, some riders are taking issue with the quality of the repairs at the station, used by about 6,000 people daily. Social media postings include pictures and videos of large concrete patches covering several spots on the newly poured concrete platforms.

“Why is this platform covered with sloppy patchwork?” @LIFAILROAD666 wrote in a Twitter post accompanied by photos of the repairs. “This doesn’t look new at all.”

LIRR spokeswoman Sarah Armaghan last month acknowledged that a grid pipe system installed underneath the platforms to melt snow sustained damage during setup and testing because of freezing conditions. Photos taken by riders and posted on Twitter show workers breaking several holes into the new concrete platforms to access the pipes underneath.

“The contractor is paying any additional costs associated with this issue,” Armaghan said in a statement. The contractor, Fortunato Sons Contracting Inc. of Bohemia, did not respond to a request for comment.

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https://www.newsday.com/long-island/tra ... 1.17291137

[MattAmity90]

I saw photos from the LIRR Today, and saw numerous concrete patches and water spots all over the platform. There were several slabs that were off level going up and down, with the elevator breaking down three times in two weeks. My Mom looked up Fortunado's and they are the worst case scenario because they cut corners. I will always love my railroad, and appreciate the work that the LIRR puts into getting people to their destinations under all the pressure that's put on them, but they double-crossed with the wrong crowd, and I wish there is something I could do because no one crosses ME, or my buds that embrace the railroad. Wantagh is one of my hometowns, my Mom's hometown, and you get the picture. I'm not like pineywoodsman, nor am I one to be clear, but no one messes with our turf.

[Islanderh93]

It was interesting that last week the doors of the platform waiting room were taken out by the winds; you know, because why would there be high wind on a platform 25' up and nothing to block wind around it? It seemed like several days before a replacement door was placed. I also found it odd that when it rained, there were puddles forming along the platform as if it's not level, or evenly sloped. I would think that the yellow tactile plastic edges shouldn't be damming up the water inboard of them, but they were.

It looks all shiny and new, but I'm wary that it may be a 10 year solution if that's how things are acting so far. I hope to be proven wrong during my commutes over the upcoming weeks.

[MattAmity90]

The LIRR has apologized for the inconvenience and is extremely disturbed and disgusted with Fortunado's that they essentially cut corners. I do believe that they did cut corners to save money, and one reason Phase I was finished 9 months behind was because unlike Seaford and Massapequa, they couldn't salvage any supports. They literally had to construct a new platform and support structure. The station platform looks like Styrofoam and stucco, and like I said before I'm not a pineywoodsman, the LIRR is making Fortunado's pay heavily to repair EVERY imperfection and make the station passenger suitable. Fortunado's is not a union contractor company. What they need to do is add a 2" layer of concrete on top of the new as a sealant, and start working under the platform where the real problems are. They still have Phase II to complete and we'll see by the end of this year what they did. I compare it to covering up acne with makeup instead of Clearasil which it actually needs.

PS: The elevator broke down for the 5th time since it went into service on February 26th.