Sunday, February 24, 2008

Defective ramp causing accidents

A defective, dangerous roadway that New York state has failed to fix, despite two decades of repeated accidents at the site, has cost taxpayers $8.4 million - and cost an innocent teen her ability to walk.

TRAGIC TOLL OF QNS. ROADWAY

The treacherous stretch of asphalt is a ramp off Exit 10 of the Van Wyck Expressway that merges with the exit ramp of the eastbound Jackie Robinson Parkway and then merges onto the westbound Grand Central Parkway in Queens.

The interchange was placed on the state's list of most dangerous roads in 2007 based on accident data from 2004 to 2006. Only six other New York City spots made the list.

Water accumulation has been cited as a persistent hazard there - and it played a particularly tragic role in a 2003 accident that left a 17-year-old girl a paraplegic and resulted last week in an $8.4 million settlement with the city and state.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is not the only spot with groundwater problems. The Cross Island Parkway near Northern Boulevard and the LIE interchange have spot where water just seeps through the pavement, weakening the road and causing unexpected ice. The one near the LIE seems to me to have worsened since they completed the "improvement" of that interchange.

Anonymous said...

I have to say, i notice this area is always wet no matter what the weather is. In colder weather, the road freezes which means absolutely nothing to the cell phone talking SUV driving maniacs that travel the roads. Why can't they get it right after all of this time?

Anonymous said...

This interchange is at the source of the Flushing River, where a valley is formed. As a result, water that seeps into the ground on the high ground of Briarwood and Kew Gardens, seeps out of the ground around the interchange, flowing towards Willow Lake.