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for larger version       Ads have a Patent Pending. Click Here for More Information Is Broad Channel Bridge Collapse Imminent?
Mundy refers to the eroded sidewalls of the tunnel-like structure that supports a small section of Cross Bay Boulevard. The street above is visibly cracking along fault lines that run from one side to the other. Mundy is afraid that a road collapse would rupture water mains, sewer lines, and disable Broad Channel's only means of transportation off the island for what could become an extended period of time.
Known to locals as "Sluice Way," it separates the land mass on which the community of Broad Channel is built (formerly known as Big Egg Marsh) from the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, also known as North Rulers Bar Hassock. When Cross Bay Boulevard was constructed in 1924, the roadway was built on top of the narrow waterway and served as a small and barely noticeable bridge that connects the two areas. Therefore, "Sluice Way," and the roadway over it, even though small and seemingly insignificant, is critical to preventing the isolation of Broad Channel. If this section of road were to collapse, it would not only paralyze travel for Broad Channel, but would also disrupt an already delicate part of Jamaica Bay's ecosystem.
According to Mundy, it appears that no maintenance has been done underneath Cross Bay Boulevard since its inception; he wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find out that the Department of Transportation isn't even aware that the roadway passes over "Sluice Way," considering that no one has ever taken care of it. Mundy says that the DOT held a public hearing six months ago in Rockaway to address transportation issues. The issue of the crumbling roadway was brought up then, but no one has been out to inspect the corrosion, Mundy said. According to Mundy, people have been lighting up 311, hoping someone will hear them, because concerns are growing. "People are calling and saying that they can feel their house shaking whenever a bus or truck rolls over," Mundy said. "Their dishes and cabinets rattle from the vibrations; that can't be good." A Department of Transportation spokesperson, Craig Chin, says that the DOT is not sure whether or not the structure in question falls within their jurisdiction. "We are trying to determine who is responsible," Chin said. "We sent someone out to determine the problem because it may fall under someone else's responsibility." What Mundy wants now is for surveyors and engineers to come out to Broad Channel to assess the situation and repair the damages. The city has vowed, ever since the bridge collapse in Minnesota, to beef up on the inspection of bridges and water crossings. Even though this rather small underpass of water is not officially considered a bridge, it would still have a huge impact on the community if it were to collapse. Broad Channel's water supply would be disabled due to ruptured water mainlines, and sewage pipes would also burst, contaminating the fragile wetlands of Jamaica Bay.
"I thought that the restrictions were supposed to be getting tighter with the bridges," Mundy says. "Not here, I guess."
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