Garage Ramps: The Canary in the Coal Mine

When a routine facade inspection uncovered a catastrophic structural failure, the garage at an Upper East Side co-op became a ticking time bomb. In this episode, Michael Monteiro, senior project engineer at Cowley Engineering, explains why ramps are the canary in the coal mine for structural issues, what warning signs residents can spot themselves, and how ignoring deterioration can lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs. With 1,600 NYC properties still non-compliant with new inspection rules and the DOB conducting surprise inspections, this conversation could save your building from disaster.  Habitat's Emily Myers conducts the interview.

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Transcript

Emily Myers: Welcome to Problem Solved, a conversation about challenges facing New York co-op and condo board directors. I'm Emily Myers with Habitat Magazine, and I'm joined by Michael Montero, senior project engineer at Cowley Engineering. Michael, thanks for being here. 

Michael Monteiro: Oh, thank you for having me. 

Emily Myers: So we're gonna talk about garage integrity, about how to spot structural weakness, and we'll discuss some of the reasons why a board might delay repairs and why that's so dangerous.

So let's get into this important topic with a look at a co-op on the Upper East Side where there was flaking concrete on the underside of the ramp used to enter and exit the garage. That doesn't sound good. Michael, can you tell us what happened when this was spotted? 

Michael Monteiro: Sure. So this was spotted by the contractor who is actually currently doing a facade restoration project at this building.

 This is a parking structure that's located under the superstructure. Now the contractor immediately notified the property manager who immediately contacted us to come out and examine the condition. 

Emily Myers: So what did you discover? 

Michael Monteiro: We found unsound and loose concrete located at the underside of the ramp at the concrete encasement of the beams and girders.

So immediately the contractor was requested to perform sounding. Upon completion of the sounding with hammers, the loose concrete was removed and corroded steel members were identified. Now, this wasn't minor corrosion that was exhibited. There were large holes punched through the steel. 

Emily Myers: Wow. So a ramp is supported by beams and columns, and it sounds like it was pretty deteriorated.

Does the ramp need to be removed and rebuilt then? 

Michael Monteiro: Yes, so upon our identification of the corroded steel, shoring was immediately ordered to provide structural stability and to support the ramp and vehicular loads. Upon that, we submitted an unsafe notification to the DOB. Part of our requirements as QPSIs.

Now, in addition to that, we developed a garage repair plan and specification, which will include the removal and replacement of the slab and the removal and replacement of the deteriorated steel members. 

Emily Myers: Wow. So I presume that the risk of a compromised ramp is that it could collapse and make the garage inaccessible, but are the ramps generally, perhaps the first warning sign of larger garage issues? The canary in the coal mine? 

Michael Monteiro: Absolutely. Ramps experience higher stresses due to constant acceleration and breaking from vehicles. Also, they're exposed to the elements, so rain, et cetera, are right there. And de-icing chemicals and salts are brought in especially during the winter months, and this leads to intrusion into the slab and rust and corrosion developing on the steel reinforcement.

Emily Myers: So were there further issues in the garage that needed addressing? 

Michael Monteiro: Yes. In other areas of the parking structure, normal wear and tear has occurred due to thermal expansion, settling. That included cracks to the foundation walls and to the underside of the garage ceiling deck.

But that's normal wear and tear typically observed in all parking structures. 

Emily Myers: Okay, so what's the cost of the project for the building to make the repairs?

Michael Monteiro: Approximately $200,000. 

Emily Myers: Okay. So when a garage is compromised, it can be a practical nightmare for a board to figure out where all the cars should go. And then I suppose if the parking is operated by a commercial entity, that has its own complications due to lost revenue. What was the situation here?

Michael Monteiro: So at this parking structure in particular, since there is only one entry/exit ramp, The residents that use the parking spaces pay rent to the building. So that'll be terminated where the residents won't have to pay rent; they'll have to seek parking in another parking garage nearby. 

Emily Myers: Okay. And how long will the repairs take? 

Michael Monteiro: The ramp work will take approximately four to five weeks. 

Emily Myers: Okay. And will the garage be closed during that time? 

Michael Monteiro: Yes. 

Emily Myers: So what are some of the reasons, or perhaps we've touched on them, some of the reasons why a board might delay repairs? It's practically complicated. 

Michael Monteiro: Oh, certainly.

That's a great question. So the issue can come from the type of parking structure, right? Whether there is only one point of entry and exit in the garage, as opposed to having multiple points of entry/exit, where if you have multiple points of entry/exit and you have repair work to be done on a ramp, you can still continue to enter and exit the parking structure, as opposed to one with just one entry/exit where you do have to perform a shutdown. Now, when you have to perform a shutdown, obviously the entire garage can't be used, as opposed to the other instance where you can still have work going on in the garage and it can be performed in phases.

Emily Myers: Okay. Obviously garage inspections are now mandated. Can you outline some of those compliance requirements? 

Michael Monteiro: Yes, absolutely. So January 1st, 2022, the initial parking structure inspection program, went into effect in New York City. It's based on three different subcategories, Cycle 1A, 1B, 1C, depending on the community district that the parking garage is located in.

So right now we're currently in Cycle 1B, which includes portions of Manhattan and Brooklyn Community districts. Cycle 1A was most of lower Manhattan; that has passed already. So the cycle 1B ends this December 31st, 2025. And then we enter Cycle 1C on January 1st, 2026. So these inspections are performed at six year intervals.

And in addition to the large scale Article 3 23, Periodic Inspection of Parking Structures, the DOB requires now an initial observation to have been performed on this past August 1st, 2024. Now, that rule went into effect January of 2024, so owners had about eight months to prepare to do the initial observation.

The DOB yesterday sent out a building news update that showed that approximately 1600 properties still have not done their initial observation. Now, just because it's a one-time inspection and this deadline has passed, garage owners must still comply with this inspection. This inspection is meant to perform an initial observation to prevent structural collapse or dangers, unsafe conditions, and to bring that to the attention of owners because again, based on the initial sub cycle of garages, if you're in the Bronx, Staten Island or Queens, you're not doing an inspection until 2026 to 2027.

So if you have unsafe conditions and you don't perform this initial observation, clearly something dangerous can occur. So that was the importance of introducing the initial observation. As part of the periodic inspection of the parking structures, the QPSI, who is a New York state licensed and registered professional engineer, they must develop what's called an annual checklist, where each year a QPSI must go into the parking structure, examined the structural components of the garage, examine any signatures of infiltration, any wear and tear, anything, so that the garage is on a preventative maintenance schedule. And there are things to look out for to see if any defects are observed the first year, have they deteriorated in the second year, the third year, et cetera. So those are the compliance rules for QPSIs. 

Emily Myers: Yes, and as of March, I think the Department of Buildings is also stepping up enforcement of the parking inspection regulations, with unannounced inspections at some of the 300 properties in lower Manhattan, Midtown and the Upper West Side. So, for those that haven't, it's time to get moving.

So clearly the takeaway for boards is to take this seriously. But was there anything that could have alerted the board to the deterioration of the ramp ahead of time that might have been helpful? 

Michael Monteiro: That's a good question. Because this rule is fairly new, garages have been ignored for decades, and garages are cash cows.

Nobody wants to shut them down, but key things to look out for are any signs of cracks. Spalling. The traffic coating on ramps or in a multi-level parking structure on the floors, checking for any cracks, deterioration, flaking and peeling. These traffic coatings are important because they prevent the intrusion of these deicing chemicals and water from getting into the slab and leading to rust and corrosion.

Emily Myers: Okay. And traffic coating. What does that look like? And how would you spot Its deterioration? 

Michael Monteiro: It's an epoxy or polyurethane based material. You can spot its deterioration. Just imagine you painted a wall in your apartment and you'll see if it hasn't been maintained, it'll start peeling or flaking. And there are areas where you'll see that it's cracked.

So colors will vary, but typically it's a grayish color. Darkish. 

Emily Myers: Okay. So any final takeaways then from this conversation? 

Michael Monteiro: Yes. For those who have not had the initial observation performed yet, please contact the QPSI. Have the inspection performed. It is very important for safety of anyone who occupies and uses the parking garage.

Also, be on the lookout now, if you're a resident. That if you spot any cracks, any spalling, any water infiltration, any puddle that you see on the floor is near a column, let your property manager know or let your building superintendent know. All of these things can help prevent further deterioration to the garage if it's spotted early, and can prevent having to shut down a parking garage. You may be able to do normal preventative maintenance repairs as opposed to full-blown replacement, full depth replacement. 

Emily Myers: Great. Lots of good intel there then. Michael, thanks so much. 

Michael Monteiro: Thank you very much, Emily. It was my pleasure.

Emily Myers: Michael Monteiro, senior project engineer at Cowley Engineering.