Thursday, April 8, 2010

Avoid Webster Avenue This Afternoon (Updated x4)

BD Reader Jack just sent us the following update:
Webster Avenue at 198th has a car size hole. There is a gas leak. Traffic stopped both ways.
Thanks Jack!

Update from CB 7:
Webster Avenue between Bedford park Blvd and East 197th Street has been closed off due to a large sinkhole in the street. The sinkhole has affected gas and water services to some residents and businesses, and will not be turned on until street crews have addressed the issue. All bus traffic is currently being rerouted off of Webster Avenue.
BD Update: I'm hearing helicopters over the apartment so I decided to switch on Bronx News 12 to see what exactly is going on with this huge sinkhole...Yeah, I still don't really know because they were busy airing a story about a pelican attacking a man in Maryland. Gotta love local news...

Update from BD Reader Jack as of Friday 4/9 @ 1:15pm:
Sink hole is being filled as I write. Another hole just south of the sinkhole, which the repair workers dug on Webster yesterday, appears to be remaining open and work will continue there.. They have a bunch of orange traffic cones and some signs set up --- looks like there are going to open Webster to traffic soon, but not the west (south bound) side of Webster. By the looks of the cones and signs they will have single south bound lane and a single north bound lane open on the east side of Webster from above 198th to 197th.

In order for this to work, they are going to have to keep the Fix-A-Flat places on both sides of Webster just north of 198th closed -- These businesses block several lanes of traffic street on a normal day! (Never understood how these businesses get away with this arrangement to begin with. It is a daily cause of traffic delay on Webster with the cars they are servicing double and often triple parked)
Update from BD Reader Jack as of Friday 4/9 @ 1:35pm:
Clarification -- the sink hole was partially filled -- looks like work will continue in it for the time being. They seem to be securing the walls of the hole with wood.

They are now letting the MTA buses pass (41 and 55) on Webster. Not other traffic yet.
~ErLu

2 comments:

Gregory Lobo Jost said...

Thanks for the info on this. We also tried to find some local TV coverage and saw the same pelican instead! I took a couple of pictures and posted them on the BxNN site.

Jack said...

There was some recent work in that area. I can't remember exactly what it was for. But they had dug up along 198th as well, laying pipes. My guess is, this sink hole is related to that work. There are tons of firefighters, Con Ed workers and construction workers from Hallen. Con Ed has a "command post" set up. A lot of businesses are suffering -- especially the 2 Fix a Flat businesses and Webster Halal Restaurant on the corner. We had gas turned off at POTS www.potsbronx.org -- luckily the afternoon meal was prepared and ready to go -- so folks were fed. Con Ed came and warned us that we may lose electricity, but it never happened.