As Missing Lanes Cause Driving Chaos In NYC, DOT Claims It's Too Cold To Go Paint New Lines
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Drivers on 11th Avenue - near the Lincoln Tunnel - don't know where to go.
That's because the white lines separating the lanes are missing and have been for weeks. CBS2's Lisa Rozner went demanding answers from the city.
It's less of a magic trick and more of traffic disaster waiting to happen.
Cars heading downtown on 11th Avenue and 45th street all of a sudden see the lanes disappear by the time they reach 44th Street.
The road is all blacktop for eight blocks. Even at the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel and down to the Javits Center are missing crucial lane markers.
The only dividers left to separate traffic - some cones and concrete islands for pedestrians to stand in.
There's also frustration building among drivers who have been left with no rules to follow on the roadway.
One SUV CBS2 saw seemingly cut into another lane, but if there's no lanes to begin with, did they really cut off oncoming traffic?
People who live and work in the area say it's been this way for at least six weeks.
"Close calls for accidents, very close calls, they need the lines," bus driver Robert Cornick said.
"It's scary and it's hard to cross," area resident Anita Graceffo added.
The Department of Transportation wouldn't make anyone available to speak with CBS2 on camera. Over the phone, a spokesperson told Lisa Rozner part of the reason they haven't repainted the lines is the cold weather.
The spokesperson claimed the road was repaved in December, but no one could explain why the agency did not just add the lines then.
The spokesperson said temporary markings will be installed when weather permits. The flimsy answer was not the one New Yorkers wanted to hear.
"Definitely not helpful that's for sure," Nick Cottrell said. "It's New York City, everybody drives like a maniac."
Back in October – CBS2 also demanded answers on yellow lines missing on another part of 11th Avenue.
FLASHBACK: Traffic Free-For-All: Missing Lines On Streets Causes Driving Chaos
The DOT fixed it within two weeks. The agency still has not responded as to when they'll at least add temporary lines for this case.
