ILC Dover’s Stairwell Flex-Gate Implemented and Tested in New York City Subways

Frederica, DelawareDecember, 20, 2019 – ILC Dover, a world leader in the innovative design and production of engineered products employing high-performance flexible materials, announced that more than 60 of its Stairwell Flex-GateTM products have been implemented and tested by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in subway stations across New York city this month.

The Stairwell Flex-GateTM is a high-strength flexible wall that can be deployed rapidly for flood protection of subway stairwell entrances and other types of stairwell openings. The MTA, which has implemented more than 60 Stairwell Flex-GateTM flood barriers so far, sought a mitigation strategy and partnered with ILC Dover after the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Stairwell Flex-GateTM is part of the city’s mitigation effort to protect the city’s infrastructure from the next superstorm.

Dan Klopp at ILC Dover commented to AtlasObscura about Stairwell Flex-GateTM stating, “Our barriers are impervious and designed to handle flooding as much as 16 feet deep. There can be some slight leakage at the interfaces between our barriers and the surrounding infrastructure, however this amounts to much less water ingress than would happen during a light spring rain shower.”

Made of Kevlar, which is the same material used in bullet-proof vests, Stairwell Flex-GateTM is a light-weight solution that can be manually deployed in minutes. The flood barriers are designed to be stored at the point-of-use, rather than storage warehouses, allowing for fast, even last-minute deployment.

Coverage of the MTA’s recent tests gained nationwide attention on social media and online coverage in New York Post, Business Insider, The Verge, Fast Company, and Atlas Obscura. These tests are likely to continue throughout New York City in the coming months.

About Stairwell Flex-Gate®
The Stairwell Flex-GateTM is a high-strength flexible wall that can be deployed rapidly for flood protection of subway stairwell entrances and other types of stairwell openings. It is constructed from textile-based materials and sturdy, corrosion resistant hardware, stored in a container typically mounted at the end of the stairwell opening at surface level. It is manually deployed in minutes with minimal manpower or equipment. The Stairwell Flex-Gate provides effective flood protection of lower levels of infrastructure while allowing critical entrances to remain open to the last minute.

About ILC Dover
Innovators at our core, we develop engineered solutions for our customers’ complex problems.

Recognized globally for our flexible containment solutions, ILC Dover serves customers in a diverse range of industries, including pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, personal care, food and beverage, chemical, aerospace, healthcare and government agencies. At ILC Dover, quality is a culture, not a measurement. Our customers will tell you that we cater to their every need and that we’re highly innovative, responsive, dedicated, and competitive. We have been innovating since 1947. ILC Dover’s visionary solutions improve efficiency, safeguard workers and product, and prevent disasters – proof that we are on the front line of business excellence. Engineering evolution beyond boundaries.

Contact
Mike Mills 
Sagefrog Marketing Group on behalf of ILC Dover
[email protected]
267-454-2946

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