NTSB: Leaky Gas Pipe In East Harlem Blast Wasn't Tested To Fed Specs
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A new report indicates that a gas main that leaked before last year's deadly explosion in East Harlem had not been pressure-tested to federal specifications because of a New York state exemption.
The report by the National Transportation Safety Board was among 161 documents made public Wednesday. It does not say the lack of a pressure test had anything to do with the explosion at 116th Street and Park Avenue.
PHOTOS: East Harlem Explosion | The Day After
The blast on March 12, 2014, demolished two apartment buildings, killed eight people and injured at least 60 others.
The NTSB said that in 2011 Con Edison replaced a section of cast-iron gas main outside the buildings with 69 feet of plastic pipe. It said federal guidelines call for pressure testing the new pipe, but state regulations allow an exemption for lengths under 100 feet.
Con Edison wouldn't comment.
Last week, a memorial service was held to mark the one-year anniversary of the explosion.
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