Lindenhurst Residents Upset Over LIRR 'Dumping Ground' Under Viaduct

LINDENHURST, NY (CBSNewYork) -- Some residents and business owners in Lindenhurst are demanding to know why a part of their historic village has become a "dumping ground" for the Long Island Rail Road.

The LIRR viaduct cuts straight through the heart of the Village of Lindenhurst and now, tons of heavy construction material is littering the property below the viaduct.

"I pay a lot of taxes for sanitation in this Village," said one resident.

"And then you turn that corner and you see that storage area. It looks terrible," said another.

Residents say hundreds of steel girders, beams and concrete blocks started showing up one day and say the LIRR has turned the main drag through town into a full-fledged storage facility.

"I don't think it's fair," said one man. I think they should have consulted with the Village and the people in the area."

"It does look like a dumping ground," said another. "It's definitely an eyesore."

Village Clerk Shawn Cullinane says after months of complaining to the LIRR, they finally removed a double wide trailer and a crane, but hasn't done anything with the rest of the property.

"We've asked the railroad to tell us about it and have gotten absolutely nowhere with them," he said.

But Cullinane says it's not just about the construction materials. He says huge gaps in the fence surrounding the property are also posing a danger.

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"If a kid is in here, playing, he could fall off, get hurt by any of the sharp edges," he said. "Totally unacceptable."

The LIRR says the area is their private property and issued a statement:

"The LIRR is currently seeking to identify a suitable storage location for the materials, which are used for emergency track repair and will schedule a meeting with Village officials, as soon as possible."

The railroad says it strives to be a good neighbor in the communities it serves and says it will seek approval from the Village of Lindenhurst before it moves the materials, which are used for track repairs on the Babylon branch.