Queens bridge labeled a safety hazard; New York City road defects can lead to serious accidents
Recently rated one of the worst bridges in Queens, at least one city Councilman is calling on Amtrak to rehabilitate Hell Gate Bridge after the latest safety incident in which a five-foot piece of debris fell into an Astoria backyard.
The New York City personal injury lawyers and wrongful death attorneys at Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool represent clients who have been serious injured or killed by defective roads and bridges in New York.
The Queens Gazette reported that Councilman Peter F. Vallone Jr. has made it a point since taking office to write numerous letters highlighting problems on the bridge, which has been rated the worst in Queens.
In this case, the Queens Gazette reported a longtime Astoria resident called Vallone's office after the five-foot chunk of bridge landed in her yard; the woman even reported she has set up a gazebo in the summer to protect herself from falling objects.
The New York state Department of Transportation recently gave the Hell Gate Bridge the lowest rating in its scoring system after reviewing every bridge in Queens.
The New York Times reported this fall that New York ranked low -- 43rd of the 50 states -- for its poor road conditions, according to a study released in June by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
"The bridges and roads all have varying states of deteriorating conditions -- whether it's poor pavement or falling concrete," said Denise Richardson, managing director of the General Contractors Association of New York. "There's a need for the state to make systematic investments in the road and bridge program."
The 10 worst New York City roads and bridges, as compiled by the General Contractor's Association of New York, include:
•Kosciuszko Bridge
•Gowanus Expressway
•Bronx River Parkway over the Amtrak tracks
•Cross Bronx Expressway viaduct over the Amtrak tracks and the Sheridan Expressway
•Bronx Terminal viaduct carrying the Major Deegan Expressway by Yankee Stadium
•Major Deegan Expressway over Sedgwick Avenue and the Metro-North Railroad tracks
•Bruckner Expressway Service road, northbound
•Bruckner Boulevard viaduct
•150th Street over the Belt Parkway
•Major Deegan Expressway ramp to 153rd Street/Cromwell Avenue, southbound
Connecticut and New Jersey follow at 44th and 50th, respectively.
Nationally, more than a quarter of bridges are deemed structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.
