By Howard Koplowitz
Two Bellerose civic leaders are warning that a gaping hole more than 5 feet deep in the divider separating Little Neck Parkway’s main road from the service road is an accident waiting to happen.
Bruno and Lucy DeFranceschi of the North Bellerose Civic Association said they were driving on the road by 82nd Avenue when they noticed the hole.
“We passed by. We thought it was a pothole,” Lucy DeFranceschi said.
But when they pulled over and looked closer, they saw a hole that exceeded 5 feet.
“It’s dangerous for somebody crossing the street and not paying attention,” she said, noting she was worried a child could fall through the hole.
City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) said he contacted the city Department of Transportation and the agency told him it would look at the hole sometime this week.
Meanwhile, Weprin’s office notified the 105th Precinct about the hole and the precinct placed three orange cones around the perimeter of the spot.
“We think it’s an emergency situation,” Weprin said Monday. “We called the police to make sure they block it off.”
The DOT has to determine whether the hole is the result of a cave-in or if it is a sinkhole.
If it is found to be a sinkhole, the city Department of Environmental Protection will take over. The agency has jurisdiction over sinkholes.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
