Navigating slick sidewalks in parts of Queens is turning out to be a challenge worthy of the winter Olympics, local civic leaders charged Tuesday.
Swaths of concrete paths along the Long Island Expressway service road are covered with ice and snow, forcing pedestrians to wade through slippery mounds of sludge.
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With two storms looming on the horizon, the situation could get even more treacherous.
“The city tells us to clear snow from our sidewalks within four hours of a storm yet the city either rarely or never shovels sidewalks that they own in our community,” said Robert Holden of the Juniper Park Civic Association.
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“There are bridges, pedestrian walkways or areas next to the Long Island Expressway in Maspeth, Elmhurst and Middle Village that are never shoveled,” added Holden.
The group has complained for years about the problem, said Holden, but has still never determined which agency is responsible for clearing the paths.
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Robert Holden
Pedestrian navigates a snow and ice covered stretch of sidewalk after walking over the 58th Road and the Long Island Expressway Service Road. Members of the Juniper Park Civic Association have long-complained about several walkways in the area that are treacherous because no city agency shovels them after a storm.
The worst stretch is along 57th Ave. between 80th and 74th St., Holden insisted.
On Tuesday, the News witnessed at least one pedestrian struggle to regain her footing after she walked over the pedestrian overpass at 58th Road.
“While we had not received any complaint about this location, DOT crews addressed the pedestrian overpass connecting 58th Road and Mazeau Street yesterday, and are scheduled to do so again,” said a spokesman for the Transportation Department. “And while we have not received complaints about the 57th Ave. location, we will review any we do receive and we are checking our records to determine DOT’s role addressing winter conditions here going forward.”
A spokesman for the city Sanitation Department said the agency would look into the issue.
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“Since this is a walking community, people use the overpasses to get to small stores in town,” said Tony Nunziato, a local Maspeth businessman. “Someone should be cleaning it up. Even the mail carriers have a hard time plowing through with their carts.”
Local resident Len Santoro helps run a volunteer group of people who shovel the homes of elderly and disabled residents. Santoro said the group often tries to tackle some of the forgotten paths over rail lines and along the Long Island Expressway.
“Those areas get iced over very quickly,” said Santoro. “There’s no way around them other than walking in the street and we don’t want people to do that.”
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