BRONX NEWS: Headache On Broadway

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Headache On Broadway

-->

Riverdale Report

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK, January 7- The MTA is replacing the tracks on the elevated # 1 subway line along Broadway from West 238th Street down to at least West 231st Street.

Last week the MTA was working, or had Broadway half closed with no parking allowed from West 237th Street to West 233rd Street on both sides. Sections of subway track were being unloaded from tractor trailer trucks and were placed one on top of another right on the street. Broadway was closed on the southbound side with barricades and police tape along the street in the work zone. In addition all side streets on the west side of Broadway were closed, and travel was restricted to either northbound or southbound as the police tape restricted any turns into any driveways such as the one for the Stop and Shop parking lot. I asked a couple of MTA workers about the work zone, and was repeatedly told by these workers wearing Blue safety helmets that the person with the White helmet was in charge. When I found the white helmeted MTA person he was moving barricades to close of yet another side street. I asked a few questions about the work going on and if there was notice given to the community, merchants, and city agencies such as DOT. I was told that signs were put up the day before to warn of the work being done, and that the MTA did not have to let any city agency know when it is doing track work. I took several photos of the work zone on Broadway including the pile of subway tracks that were placed on top of each other on the street, and you can go to my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com to see them along with other photos and other items that may come up.

While visiting Ms. Katherine Broiher the Executive Director of the Kingsbridge Business Improvement District (BID), she said that the BID already has a problem with parking in the area now that the municipal parking lot that was at West 230th Street has closed for development of the lot into a shopping center. “Many merchants and customers parked their vehicles in the West 230th Street lot, and this MTA track work is only compounding the problem” She added that blocks of Broadway and side street parking is being taken away, and the merchants on Broadway are losing business. I visited the Stop and Shop supermarket in the middle of the track work, and the manager said that he is losing a lot of business because cars can not get into his parking lot that was more than half empty. I returned to Broadway the next day to see that there were several DOT traffic agents who were now directing traffic on Broadway at both ends and along the MTA work zone.

Former Captain Kevin Burke the commanding officer of the 50th Police precinct is now Deputy Inspector Kevin Burke. With the promotion came a raise in pay, and the fears of the community and fellow officers that a transfer will soon be coming for the new DI. In the past when captains of the 50 were promoted to DI within months they were transferred to higher positions in the NYPD.

Now that the new year has started Community Board # 8 will be having their usual monthly full board and committee meetings on matters of concern to the local community. You can check the Community Board # 8 website at www.nyc.gov/bronxcb8 and click on any of the links on the left to see when the meetings are, where the meeting are being held (as the full board and some committee meeting are throughout the community board area), what the agendas are for the full board or any committee meeting, and a brief summary of past meetings in the minutes area.

If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.