By Christina Santucci
The city Department of Transportation plans to review a request by a state lawmaker for the agency to check safety measures on roads leading up to bodies of water, a DOT spokesman said. State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) proposed the review two days after four young East Elmhurst residents were killed when the car they were riding careened into Steinway Creek, police said.
Gianaris, who lives several blocks from the accident site at 19th Avenue and 37th Street, said the tragedy raised questions about whether there was anything separating the roadway from the creek. He also aid there was a lack of proper signage alerting drivers to the dead end.
“As our community deals with this tragic accident, we must work together to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future,” Gianaris said. “DOT must make our streets safer by reviewing all roads leading to waterways as there may be similar dangers in other neighborhoods throughout our city.”
Two dead-end signs were already in place before the accident on both sides of the street at 37th Avenue and 19th Street, which leads to the creek. Workers installed jersey barriers and barrels Saturday and replaced the “end” sign at the conclusion of the roadway, the DOT spokesman said.
And the agency is looking into a section of the guardrail reported to be missing, but a preliminary review showed no recent complaints about the barrier or requests for traffic controls and additional signage in the immediate area, according to the spokesman.
The New York Post had reported that a metal guardrail which had separated the street from the water apparently collapsed long ago. A section of a guardrail and a slab of concrete connected to a metal fence were visible at the site Monday evening, but there would have been clear paths on either side of these to the water had the jersey barriers and barrels not been in place.
The DOT said the agency will review Gianaris’ request for a check on streets leading to water.
Four of five people inside the Honda Accord — Darius Fletcher, 21; Crystal Gravely, 19; Jaleel Feurtado, 20; and Jada Monique Butts, 19 — died when the car they were riding in struck a curb and flipped into the murky waterway just after 10:30 p.m. Friday, police said.
The accident site is in an industrial section of Astoria and about a block from the famed Steinway & Sons Piano Factory.
Reach managing editor Christina Santucci by e-mail at timesledgerphotos@gmail.com by phone at 718-260-4589.
