Neighbors: Low Overpass In Bensonhurst Is Trapping Trucks, Delaying Traffic
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Neighbors say an overpass in Brooklyn is an accident waiting to happen, as many trucks cannot clear its low height.
As CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported, some say a warning sign that is too small may be to blame.
A close call was caught on cellphone video recently at Bay Parkway and 86th Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. A car carrier barely cleared the 12-foot, 4-inch elevated subway overpass.
People in the neighborhood said it happens a lot.
"I've seen the tops of trucks being ripped off because they don't honor the height," said Milly Bonanno.
People also said truck drivers get to the overpass and realize they won't fit, which then causes major traffic delays.
"By the time they get to the underpass, it's already too late," Bonanno said.
"Then they try to go under, but they know they can't go under," another neighborhood resident said. "They back up and make a U-turn."
Part of the problem, neighbors said, is the small yellow sign that announces the clearance.
"I don't think it's a big enough sign telling them what the height is," one resident said.
"They need to make the signs more flashier," another said.
City Councilman Mark Treyger (D-47th) witnessed a truck nearly get stuck under the overpass himself. He has now asked the Department of Transportation to post new, larger signs and re-measure the height of the overpass.
"That street has been repaved as recently as last year," Treyger said.
Treyger thinks the repaving might have made the road higher. He also wants the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to take a closer look at the structural stability of the overpass to make sure the trucks have not caused any long-term damage.
"This is a fixable problem, but it requires the will to get this done," he said.
The MTA told CBS2 it is constantly inspecting the infrastructure, especially after cases when vehicles are stuck underneath. As for the DOT, it is currently reviewing the councilman's request for additional signage.