By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
FINANCIAL DISTRICT — Mariama James is so accustomed to the rats running rampant on Fulton Street that when one dashed in front of her on a recent evening, she didn’t miss a step.
“I just hopped right over it and kept talking on the phone,” said James, 39, who has lived in Southbridge Towers nearly all her life. “That’s how abundant they’ve become.”
The rat infestation has grown so bad that it caught Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s attention. Silver held a meeting with city agencies and local residents earlier this month and on Monday unveiled a plan to address the problem.
“This is a public health issue,” Silver said in a statement Monday. “In certain areas, particularly near Fulton Street, the streets have been literally overrun with rats since construction and repair projects began earlier this year. Residents should not have to fear for themselves, their children and their pets while out walking in their own neighborhood."
The city Health Department studied the area at Silver’s request and recommended additional baiting on Fulton Street, in sewers and in rat burrows; cleaning and unclogging basins; improving trash disposal and hastening trash pickup; and power-washing the sidewalks.
City and state agencies, including the Department of Sanitation, will oversee the implementation of Silver’s plan. The Downtown Alliance business improvement district will help as well, Silver’s office said.
Southbridge’s management has already started putting down poison more frequently, two residents said.
Rats are also a problem in lower Manhattan’s subways, a Health Department study found last month.
The Fulton Street rat infestation has worsened since the city started building DeLury Square Park at the corner of Fulton and Gold Streets, disturbing rats’ homes, residents said.
James, who has three children, said she recently saw a rat run out of Southbridge’s Associated Supermarket.
“In addition to being disgusting, it has to be unhealthy,” James said. “We’re so overcome. It’s out of control.”
Paul Hovitz, another longtime Southbridge resident and Community Board 1 member, said he used to see an occasional rat around Fulton Street, but now he sees dozens, especially at night.
“I hope [Silver’s plan] makes a difference,” Hovitz said. “It’s a really difficult problem.”
