NEW YORK, NY September 02, 2009 —Since two of the city's biggest testers of concrete are under indictment, the Department of Buildings has decided to open its own independent testing lab. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more.

Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri says the new lab will be running by January of next year. It will ensure the quality of the concrete used in major city construction projects. The Buildings Department is requiring 82 privately owned buildings to re-test their concrete, based on the indictments. So far six of the 82 buildings have reported back.

LIMANDRI: So far to date we have not found structures that are significantly compromised.

Another group affected by the concrete scandal are the dozens of projects built by agencies like the MTA, the Port Authority and the School Construction Authority. Officials responsible for those projects say their re-testing has not produced evidence of any threat to public safety.