Friday, May 08, 2009
Williamsburg fears street hole an accident waiting to happen
Stalled construction has left Williamsburg residents fuming over a gaping hole at a busy intersection - where they say no work has been done since August.
The city dug up the street at the corner of Flushing and Franklin Aves. two years ago to upgrade water and sewer pipes and streetlights. A 40-foot hole in the ground has sat dormant for eight months - and neighbors say it's disrupted local businesses, snarled traffic and created rodent problems.
"Customers are complaining all the time," said Jake Friedman, general manager of Hatzlacha Supermarket on Flushing Ave., who said he has lost business because shoppers can no longer park near the store.
"It's a real mess. I don't know how people can run a city like this."
Neighbors also expressed concerns that the site - where they say protective netting has ripped or fallen down - poses a risk of accidents, noting there is a Jewish girls' school on the block.
"Children are climbing up on the fence every day," said Mordechi Held, who lives on Franklin Ave. "One day a kid will fall in." Held added, "It's causing traffic for the whole block. ... It's causing all kinds of rats and all kinds of insects."
The project was held up because connecting two water mains was more complicated than expected, said city Design and Construction Department spokesman Craig Chin. An engineer is currently designing a connection for the water mains.
"Once we [finish the design], which should be in the next few weeks, we can reduce the size of the trench area and make it safer for the pedestrians and the kids going to school," he said. He said the project will wrap by summer's end.
Isaac Abraham, a Hasidic community activist and City Council candidate, said the street work has dragged on too long already. "It is absolutely a disaster for pedestrians as well as motorists," he said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/05/08/2009-05-08_nabe_fears_street_hole_an_accident_waiting_to_happen.html
The city dug up the street at the corner of Flushing and Franklin Aves. two years ago to upgrade water and sewer pipes and streetlights. A 40-foot hole in the ground has sat dormant for eight months - and neighbors say it's disrupted local businesses, snarled traffic and created rodent problems.
"Customers are complaining all the time," said Jake Friedman, general manager of Hatzlacha Supermarket on Flushing Ave., who said he has lost business because shoppers can no longer park near the store.
"It's a real mess. I don't know how people can run a city like this."
Neighbors also expressed concerns that the site - where they say protective netting has ripped or fallen down - poses a risk of accidents, noting there is a Jewish girls' school on the block.
"Children are climbing up on the fence every day," said Mordechi Held, who lives on Franklin Ave. "One day a kid will fall in." Held added, "It's causing traffic for the whole block. ... It's causing all kinds of rats and all kinds of insects."
The project was held up because connecting two water mains was more complicated than expected, said city Design and Construction Department spokesman Craig Chin. An engineer is currently designing a connection for the water mains.
"Once we [finish the design], which should be in the next few weeks, we can reduce the size of the trench area and make it safer for the pedestrians and the kids going to school," he said. He said the project will wrap by summer's end.
Isaac Abraham, a Hasidic community activist and City Council candidate, said the street work has dragged on too long already. "It is absolutely a disaster for pedestrians as well as motorists," he said.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/05/08/2009-05-08_nabe_fears_street_hole_an_accident_waiting_to_happen.html
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