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Newark engineering director outlines elevator‑inspection backlog and City Hall modernization to 2027
Summary
Acting Engineering Director James D. Adams told council Newark has roughly 3,000 elevator/escalator devices, a backlog that will require expanded inspector staffing and a third‑party contract; City Hall elevator modernization is scheduled to start June 2026 and finish in spring 2027.
James D. Adams, acting director of engineering, told the Newark Municipal Council on March 24 that the city's elevator inspection program is under significant strain and that responsibilities for maintenance and repair rest with building owners.
Adams said the city has approximately 3,000 vertical‑transportation devices citywide, including about 50 escalators, and that inspection resources have lagged demand. "We estimate that we can do approximately 300 inspections per inspector per year," he said, adding that catching up with the backlog would require roughly 10 inspectors working a year. To bridge the gap the city procured an emergency contract with a nationally recognized third‑party firm, VDA, which currently provides three full‑time inspectors.
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