By JOSEPH DE LA CRUZ
The rooftops of the Queens-Bridge Houses in Long Island City got a make-over that was completed six months ahead of schedule, Shola Olatoye, the New York City Housing Authority CEO, announced on Thursday at a press conference.
“Overall this work will help improve what’s the conditions in our residents’ apartments,” Olatoye said. “And help to save the authority resources that we can invest back into our buildings.”
It cost $87 million to renovate all 26 buildings with 354,000 sq. ft. of new roofing in the housing complex- the oldest and largest public housing development in the nation.
“Thanks to Mayor de Blasio’s unprecedented investment in comprehensive roof replacement and facade repairs across NYCHA, Queensbridge residents will see a healthier, cleaner community, with fewer leaks and improved quality of life,” she added.
De Blasio’s office funded $60 million of the cost, with the remaining $27 million coming from the federal government.
Five miles of parapet walls and metal guardrails were replaced on the perimeter of each roof as well as 76,000 sq. ft. of exterior brick wall- all in an effort to end a large number of roof leaks.
“These are critical issues that our residents often have to wrestle with,” she said. “This work could not have happened without our NYCHA project manager Christian Delamonte.”
It’s been 50 years since the last time the roofs on any of the buildings were fixed, Olatoye said.
“As we work to preserve public housing for this generation and next, we’re strengthening our buildings with top-to-bottom upgrades — literally,” Olatoye said.
Olatoye took reporters on a tour to one of the renovated rooftops. The roof was covered in white cap sheets that sat on top of its concrete.
A drainage pipe sits in the middle to divert rain water off the buildings surface- a measure used to avoid leaks.
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