Demanding Answers: Drivers Struggle With Rough Roads Near Citi Field
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- If there were prizes for potholes, CBS2 found a street that could be nominated in multiple categories.
The pavement on the road in Queens is in perpetual decay, and CBS2 wondered, where were the repairs? CBS2's Valerie Castro was demanding answers Thursday night.
"These are not potholes, these are like little lakes. I mean look at that, little lakes," Mike Luppi said.
Lakes, craters, trenches, call them what you like, but it's hard to believe the stretch of torn up roadways is actually a city street -- Willets Point Boulevard in Queens.
"I know that it's dreadful, I mean me driving around in my car with low suspension, it's really impossible to get by here unless you have an SUV," Luppi said.
The area that drivers carefully navigate is populated with dozens of small auto repair shops. It's not pretty to look at, but Luppi said it's saved him a pretty penny.
"The money I save is pretty substantial. If I take my BMW to a BMW specialist I'm paying three times the price," he said.
Alfredo Rico is a mechanic and said the city has come out to take a look, but has never fixed anything.
He claims the city wants to force the small businesses out in favor of big development.
The rundown area sits in the shadow of Citi Field and is considered prime real estate. The battle to develop it has gone on for several years.
"This is going to be hotels and clubs for big money, they want everybody out," Ozzy Bazrouk said.
Bazrouk knows the road well.
"Dancing left and right like I'm in a water bed, this is bad," he said.
He's been doing business in the area for decades, and said it's only gotten worse.
"The reason they're not fixing the street, first they want everybody to leave," he said.
Despite appearances, he said the shops make a good profit which gives them little incentive to leave.
"Go to rich area, you're going to see the street is clean. You won't even see a napkin, but where it's poor people they don't care," Bazrouk said.
CBS2 first drove down this road this past weekend on the way to a different assignment, but upon seeing how bad the road was, CBS2 reached out to the city's Department of Transportation.
CBS2 asked when the area was last paved, if there were any plans to repair it in the future, and about the safety of the road for emergency vehicles trying to get through.
After several hours, the DOT finally responded to CBS2's request, saying only, "DOT is aware of and looking into community concerns."
