Cracked Retaining Walls All Around Town

For our Sunday dose of wall alarmism, Gothamist enjoyed the NY Times examination of 126 retaining walls with "cracks, bulges and leaks", because now we'll be walking the streets, wondering if the wall next to us will suddenly collapse. Most retaining walls are located in the Bronx and northern Manhattan, because they are the hilliest parts of the city, but you may now notice retaining walls wherever you go, like around the cemetary at Trinity Church downtown. The Buildings Department emphasized that retaining walls are the responsibility of owners, and that they only checked them when there are complaints. To which Gothamist says, in light of the Henry Hudson Parkway retaining wall collapse, please call 311. Oh, and while it's good that the Church of St. John the Divine at Amsterdam and West 110th Street recognizes its 18-foot high wall has problems, just putting a chain link fence in front of it doesn't make us feel that much more safe.

The best quote from the wall visits: A geotechnical engineer at Columbia, Professor Hoe I. Ling, saying, "These trees are not supposed to be growing" in the cracks of a wall. Ha! Even Gothamist would be able to say that. For walls closer to home, HGTV has a step-by-step guide on repairing indoor cracks in the wall. And have you noticed precarious retaining walls in your neighborhood?