New Yorkers are no strangers to the murky pools of water on subway platforms. They are a symptom of the subway’s crumbling infrastructure, but have become part of the network’s underground landscape. We accept these trash- and rat-infested wetlands as the price for 24-hour public transportation.
Our subterranean transportation bog, however, is more than a passive annoyance: it poses real risks to public health and safety. In 2016, the threat of the mosquito-borne Zike virus outbreak caused New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo to unleash a series of preventative measures to reduce standing water in the subway tunnels, which are a hotbed for mosquito larvae. Hurricane Sandy brought seven million gallons of water pouring into the L train’s Canarsie tunnels, which service approximately 300,000 daily riders, requiring their ongoing reconstruction.
Then, this past July, another heavy rainstorm pounded New York City, causing power outages and flash floods throughout the boroughs. In Long Island City, a torrent of rainwater flooded the Court Square subway station so forcefully …