INWOOD — Inwood drivers woke up to an unwelcome surprise Thursday morning.
Orange fliers taped up along Seaman Avenue announced that the city's Department of Design and Construction would entirely shut down large stretches of Seaman Avenue for resurfacing Thursday and Friday evenings.
Seaman Avenue from Isham Street to 218th Street will be closed to traffic from 6 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday, and then the stretch of Seaman from Cumming Street to Isham Street will be closed from 6 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday. The fliers declared the area a “No Parking, Tow Away Zone.”
Workers will scrape off the top layer of the street's pavement so the Department of Transportation can put down a new surface, a DDC representative said. The DOT’s work will begin 10 to 15 days after the initial work is completed.
Residents questioned the practicality of shutting down such large sections of the street in an area where they said parking is already difficult, especially on the weekends.
“Nobody’s going to be able to park,” said Paul Rodriguez, who has lived in the neighborhood for 37 years. “You have the Marina, Mamajuana and all of the Dyckman Street bars. On a normal weekend you can’t park here.”
Sean O’Keefe, 74, who has lived in the neighborhood all his life, said that in the past the city has provided alternate parking areas when similar work has taken place.
“This is insane,” O’Keefe said. “What are we supposed to do with the cars? Can we park on the sidewalk? Are they going to provide parking?”
The DDC did not immediately respond to questions about a parking plan.
Other residents were upset that the DDC did not post the signs until sometime between late Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
“Declaring such a long stretch of Seaman Avenue, both sides, off limits is a recipe for disaster,” longtime resident Q Mackey said in an email. “Without a doubt, some people who parked legally before these signs went up this morning will be very unpleasantly surprised when they return and discover that their vehicle is gone.”
