Alfred Brociner, Port Authority
Engineer, dies at 80
BY JOSEPH MALLIA
joseph.mallia@newsday.com
December 1, 2008
Alfred Brociner, a
prominent mechanical engineer who helped design an
emergency cooling system for the World Trade Center
after the 1993 terrorist bombing, died Thursday at his
Plainview home after a long illness. He was 80.
Brociner was born in Bucharest, Romania, and graduated
with a mechanical engineering degree from what is now
known as the Polytechnic University of Bucharest.
He emigrated to the United States in 1963 with his wife,
Rolanda, and son, Dan.
For nearly three decades before his retirement in 1996,
Brociner worked for the Port Authority of New York & New
Jersey, retiring as chief mechanical engineer in the
engineering department. He enjoyed his work and was
dedicated to his job, and he appreciated the friendship
of his colleagues, his family said.
Brociner's family provided excerpts from a speech given
at a retirement dinner honoring him. "At the core of the
[Port Authority's] mechanical engineering
accomplishments for 29 years, he was responsible for
designing some of the largest and most complex
mechanical systems serving transportation anywhere," the
speaker said.
The speech continued: "Alfred Brociner is a widely
recognized expert in tunnel and bus terminal
ventilation," one who helped devise innovations for the
PATH Rapid Transit System, the Bridges, Tunnels and
Terminals division, and Kennedy Airport.
The speech credited him with playing "the central role
in designing a cooling system during the restoration of
the [World Trade Center] which enabled it to open in a
remarkably short time" after the February 1993 bombing
in an underground garage that killed three people and
injured hundreds.
Survivors include his wife and son, a daughter-in-law,
Susan, and his grandson, Brandon.
Copyright
© 2008 - Newsday.com
