West Broadway repairs planned

A roadway resurfacing and sidewalk repair project prompted by a Woodmere resident’s petition is expected to be undertaken next year as part of Nassau County’s capital budget, according to County Legislator Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence).

Dr. Ari Weinrib addressed the condition of West Broadway, from Mill Road in Hewlett to Rockaway Turnpike in Cedarhurst, with Kopel a couple of years ago. Then, seeing that no improvements had been made, Weinrib began collecting signatures of community members earlier this month on a petition, to demonstrate that he wasn’t the only one who wanted to see the roadway repaired and the sidewalks and curbs fixed. His goal was at least 100 signatures. As of press time, he had collected 86.

“Two years ago I met with Howard and sent some letters to the Department of Public Works commissioner, but nothing was done. I got so frustrated,” Weinrib said, explaining why he began collecting signatures. “There are a lot of Orthodox Jews who walk to shul, and there are no curbs on the sidewalks and there is no delineation with the street.”

He added that sidewalk curbs are “broken or missing” in places, there are “few to no trees on the utility strip,” the grassy part of the sidewalk, and the street is “pothole-ridden and cracked.”

Four years ago, Branch Boulevard, between Cedarhurst and North Woodmere, was also a roadway in need of repair, its sidewalks also a hazard for pedestrians. Kopel pushed for that reconstruction project, and similarly, through resident complaints, West Broadway gained his attention, he said.

“It’s going to happen — I arranged for it to be done,” said Kopel, who is running for re-election this year. “It’s being scoped out and designed, and it will go out to bid beginning next year. It will include road resurfacing and curb work.” He added that he does not yet know the full scope of the project or its projected cost.

Woodmere resident Chava Willig Levy said that getting around her neighborhood in her wheelchair is made more difficult by the condition of the sidewalks. “It’s not only the potholes, but the sidewalks are horrific,” she said. “They are beyond belief in bad shape, with three- to four-inch gashes in the middle of the block.” Levy said she would also like to see more traffic signals to make it easier for her and her husband, Michael, who is blind, to cross the street.

Also along West Broadway are several sites where two utility poles stand next to each other. Weinrib said he wants the utility companies to take down the unneeded poles. PSEG Long Island spokesman Jeffrey Weir said that the poles are doubled up because not all telephone and cable television companies have moved their equipment and wires to the newer poles.

Weir said that there are identifying markers about five feet up a pole indicating which utility originally installed it. Residents can report the double-pole locations and those identifying marks to PSEG Long Island, he added, and the information will be forwarded to the proper utility.

“Double poles are a blight, and we consider no project complete until the new pole is set,” Weir said. “The last [utility] off the pole is responsible for removing the pole. That doesn’t happen right away.”

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