Borough Park and Midwood lawmakers including State Sen. Simcha Felder, Assemblymember Simcha Eighenstein and City Councilmember Kalman Yeger last week brought city Department of Transportation officials to see first hand how subway overpasses from Avenue J to Kings Highway have become a common trap for trucks.
With little signage, the trucks often hit the overpass resulting in both gridlock and debris.
“These trucks are ripped open like sardine cans by the time they realize they are stuck and as a result, residents and commuters in all the surrounding areas suffer enormous traffic delays and congestion,” said Felder.
“This aggravation is a regular occurrence and it’s about time the City did something about it,” he added.
Also along for the tour was DOT Brooklyn Bureau Commissioner, Keith Bray and Community Board 14 District Manager Shawn Campbell.
“The epidemic of trucks crashing into overpasses in Midwood is dangerous and must come to an end,” said Eichenstein. “I was glad to come together with Senator Felder, Councilman Yeger, District Manager Campbell and DOT to come up with common sense solutions to this problem.”
Yeger noted that Felder has been ringing the alarm for years about the danger of oversized trucks striking Midwood’s B/Q subway overpasses.
“Pedestrians, motorists, cyclists and subway riders are all endangered when a truck strikes an overpass, as happens far too often in our neighborhood. I’m relieved that DOT is finally paying close attention this problem and considering some common-sense solutions to address this,” Yeger said.
Felder said while some problems require complex solutions, this isn’t one of them.
“Flashing lights or LED signs that are visible a few blocks in advance, warning poles that alert truckers to the height restrictions they are facing while they still have the chance to change course. This has been going on for way too long, but today we finally took a step in the right direction,” said Felder.
A Felder spokesperson said the DOT has finally agreed to study and report back on possible solutions and Felder is looking forward to their proposal.
