ROCKAWAY BEACH — The Department of Transportation has kept part of a road along Jamaica Bay closed since New Year's Eve as it works to figure out what's causing the road to ripple and crumble — as local pols slam the city for years of neglect.
The stretch of Beach Channel Drive between Beach 108th and Beach 113th streets was closed suddenly on Dec. 31 by the DOT. Drivers have since been re-routed along the Rockaway Freeway.
While the road closure was deemed an emergency, it wasn't a surprise for drivers who've bumped all along the particularly rough stretch for years.
There are cracks throughout the street, and along the sidewalk median. Parts of the asphalt have rippled up, resembling waves.
According to an update on City Councilman Eric Ulrich's Facebook page, the DOT decided to close the street after crews sent out to check on prior complaints found the issues to be more serious.
The cracks had widened, according to officials, and they will have a determination on what happened early next week.
Ulrich called for an immediate inspection of the entire road "to make sure it's "properly supported."
He'd received complaints about Beach Channel Drive since Hurricane Sandy in 2012 but said the city never gave a full inspection to the street, just made minor fixes.
"Beach Channel Drive is the most heavily used thoroughfare in the Rockaways and is the only road that runs the entire length" of the peninsula, he said.
Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder said he's warned about the roadway conditions for years, adding an urgency after bay wall bulkheads were destroyed during Sandy.
"The collapse of the bulkheads during Sandy at Beach 108th Street exposed the serious deterioration of this vital protection and this week's closure further underscores the need for repairs," he said.
The DOT has not provided details about when it will re-open the street or when it may make any repairs.
The agency did not respond to another request for comment.
