College Point residents are calling on the city to finally address a long-standing drainage issue in the neighborhood.
State Senator Tony Avella stood with locals at Powells Cove Boulevard, a roadway notorious for flooding conditions due to a poorly maintained roadbed and lack of storm sewers, on Feb. 9.
The problematic roadway has been affecting quality of life for those living in the area for 26 years, according to resident Irina Ngai.
“In the winter when it snows, it floods and turns icy and slippery,” he said. “In the summertime there are mosquitoes, it attracts disease, and the debris creates a hazard.”
If the city were to install a sewer system in the area, “most of the problem would go away,” Ngai added.
At the time of the press conference, rainfall collected at the site from earlier in the week was frozen over. Residents expect the flooding to be present into the spring.
According to Avella, city agencies have inspected the site but have yet to take any action. The Department of Transportation (DOT) told the lawmaker they cannot address the roadway issues until the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) addresses the lack of storm sewers.
“Just because these New Yorkers live at the end of College Point does not mean that you should treat them like they live at the end of the world,” Avella said. “These New Yorkers have waited too long. Something needs to be done immediately. It is absurd that residents are still having to beg for basic city services like storm sewers.”
A city spokesperson for DEP and DOT said city engineers are working to determine what upgrades to Powell’s Cove Boulevard may be feasible.
