West Broadway condition irks community members

In response to what they viewed as the deterioration of West Broadway in Hewlett, Woodmere and Cedarhurst, residents formed the Five Towns Beautification and Safety Improvement Committee in 2015.

Community members contacted elected officials about the condition of a roadway they believed had surpassed the level of eyesore to become an actual safety hazard. The curbs and sidewalks needed repair, and in places where there are double utility poles they wanted one removed.

According to committee member Ari Weinreb, the restoration project was scheduled to begin in 2016, but has still not yet started. “There are a lot of places where the road has turned to dust, you’re literally walking on gravel,” he said.

Walking along West Broadway, you can see where the curbs are all but gone, sidewalks remain cracked and the double utility poles remain, strapped together. County legislator Denise Ford (R-Long Beach) said that she’s driven down West Broadway and that, “There are some parts you where you wonder if there was ever a curb there.”

Compounding the problems is the issue of overlapping jurisdictions. The poles are the responsibility of the last company to use them. West Broadway is a Nassau County road that runs through the Town of Hempstead.

Typically, the county had to repave the road while the local municipalities would repair the curbs and sidewalks, however in this case according to Ford, the county has allocated enough money to tackle the street, the curbs and the sidewalks, while also pressuring the utility companies to remove the poles.

Restoration has been delayed in large part due to West Broadway being included in a Five Towns drainage study. If we repaved the street before [the study] depending on the results we may have had to tear it back up which would have been irresponsible,” said County Legislator Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence), adding that the study is being finalized.

The committee hopes that the restoration project is back on track and construction will begin in 2018, but residents still have some concerns. “This would make me feel great, but this was supposed to happen years ago,” Weinreb said. “We’re really afraid that even if it gets done it may not be done right. We’re frustrated, but excited that our representatives are behind us on this.”

Kopel acknowledged that a lot can happen between now and 2018. “It is mine and Legislator Ford’s full intention to keep this on the track it is,” he said. “I like that people are interested in their community, and I hope they choose to get involved in more civic activities.”

A town hall-style meeting, organized by Ford and Kopel, is scheduled for June 6 at 7 p.m. at the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library at 1125 Broadway in Hewlett.
“I understand the frustration from the residents,” Ford said. “I’m looking forward to finally getting this done and hearing more from the community.”

To contact the Five Towns Beautification and Safety Improvement Committee, email tmem at westbroadwaycommittee@gmail.com.

Have an opinion about the condition of West Broadway? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.