Been wondering what’s up with the Brooklyn Walmart proposed for the Gateway II Center? Us too, but in reality there’s been very little headway in either direction. Walmart, though, did make an attempt to spread some money around: they gave at least $15,000 to State Senate Democrats, whose campaign committee is led by Senator John Sampson who represents the proposed development area. Union leaders balked, and successfully pressured the Dems to return the money to Walmart.
Now, Steve Barrison – president of the Bay Improvement Group and executive vice president of the Small Business Congress of New York City – has issued a statement demanding more vocal opposition from “greenies,” including DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
Read Steve Barrison’s statement about a proposed Brooklyn Walmart at Gateway II after the jump.
Kathy Flynn, SBPB Civic President, with Rep. Anthony Weiner
The ocean is more than just a neighbor to residents of waterfront Brooklyn and Queens, it’s a threat. And one that needs to be taken seriously.
Congressman Anthony Weiner gathered local leaders and the press on what remains of the sands along the Belt Parkway this afternoon to deliver that message to city and state authorities, and urge preparedness in the face of Hurricane Earl. Currently a category 4 storm, Earl is positioned to sweep across the Eastern coast this week.
“We are here for the third time to call on the Army Corps of Engineers of the state to start to deal with this problem before it visits upon us,” Weiner said in his statement. “We understand that, living here in the beachfront path, we have certain risks – that the Atlantic Ocean and mother nature more or less goes wherever she wants. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need to take some smart steps.”
Keep reading, and see video of his remarks and a copy of a letter sent to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Shopping cart and pillow bed mattress. (Photo courtesy of nolastname, 2010)
Roaming the streets of Sheepshead Bay all day with these bags of cans sure can be tiring.
I guess it’s not as bad as some have it. At least I have some shelter (the Belt Parkway overpass at Ocean Avenue) and a place to rest my head at night or day or whenever the mood takes me.
Now, if I could only get me a pillow and some sheets. Oh, yeah, and some earplugs, ‘cuz that Belt Parkway rumbling and bridge renovation sure does keep me awake!
An accident on the eastbound side of the Belt Parkway is causing heavy delays. The reader that sent in the above photo of the accident near the end of the East 14th Street entrance ramp said it appeared minor, but was enough to throttle movement on the parkway.
Well, hello there! It’s such a nice night out, and I’m just cartin’ about, enjoyi–
Who the heck am I kidding? My name is Red Jerke. I’m a very… freakin’… tired shopping cart. You see, I haul about 30 bags a week. Thirty bags! And that’s not just moving them around. It’s marketing them; it’s trying to sell things to go next to them; it’s spotting the bits to fill future bags with…
And that’s not to mention my other duties. I’ve got to be all friendly to people who like to push me around; I’ve got to listen to old people tell me about the kinds of bags they think I should carry; I’ve got to find other carts and tell them to fill some bags for me. Jeez! It’s exhausting work!
But on top of it all, my cohort Nay Bohnson, she goes and takes a vacation and skips town on the one bag a week she promises to carry. One bag! And she needs a vacation. Oy vey!
Thanks to Boris G. for the photo, taken underneath the overpass at Ocean Avenue and Shore Parkway.
Photo by Eric Z.
Bikers, joggers and walkers hoping to enjoy the Plumb Beach bike path are facing yet another obstacle: a massive tree fell and is blocking the path just east of the parking lot. This is, of course, just a few dozen feet away from where the path is fenced off following a November storm that destroyed a large segment of the path. At the time, the city said the path would be fixed during the spring to be ready for patrons to utilize for the 2010 season. Though the area was prepped for reconstruction back in May, no further work was been done.
The Guider Avenue / East 8th Street bridge is almost entirely gone, with only a couple of supports and steel spans remaining. If you haven’t noticed, there have been late-night/early-morning lane closures since the beginning of the month. Construction began in February to remove the overpass, and they’ll soon begin building a whole new structure.
A car exiting the Belt Parkway at Exit 8 lost control, slamming into a parked car before exploding into flames, according to police on the scene .
The accident occurred on Friday, June 18, at around 7:40 p.m. The driver, a woman, was taken to the hospital for minor injuries. She managed to escape the car before it ignited, witnesses said.
Police on the scene weren’t entirely sure how the accident happened, but they speculated that she took to the exit ramp too quickly and lost control of her vehicle. Her car ended up on the sidewalk, smashing the parked vehicle into the fence of the old Verizon lot. It then erupted into flames in front of the stairs for the East 14th Street footbridge over the Belt Parkway. No bystanders were harmed.
The owner of the parked car was saved by chance, according to the officer. He had just gotten out of the car minutes before, and was a block away helping his son who had been in a minor car accident. He can be seen in a blue shirt in the video after the jump.
View more photos and a short video of the cars after the accident
Ever wondered why commercial vehicles aren’t allowed on the Belt Parkway? This trucker found out just one of the reasons early this morning. His double-hitched truck slammed into the B/Q overpass around 1:30 a.m. At around that time, reader Vyacheslav M. was crossing over the footbridge. Camera in-hand, he snagged these photos, and wrote the following:
An ESTES Express Lines truck was heading East on Belt park way and did not clear the height of the bridge (11′-4″) and the entire roof top was shaved off and some cargo fell out, the truck came to a stop next to the El Greco Sign. The only car involved in this accident is the truck no one else. The driver was in a lot of pain and was rushed to the hospital by FDNY Ambulance.
View the photos
The next phase of construction on the Guider Avenue / East 8th Street bridge begins tonight, as crews begin dismantling the steel girders. While most of the construction has been done with minimal closures, the removal of the supports requires more activity on the Belt Parkway itself.
Work – and lane closures – will occur at night to minimize the impact, and electric lighted signs are placed along the approach to the construction area to provide information about scheduling.
The closures are expected to occur as follows, until June 18:
Two-lane closures (Eastbound and/or westbound)
- 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. – Monday to Friday
- 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. – Saturday
All-lane closures (All traffic stopped)
- 15-minute intervals between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. – Monday to Friday
- 15-minute intervals between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. – Saturday
(Traffic must completely dissipate before another 15 minute closure)
The entire project is expected to finish in May 2011. Construction began in February to remove and replace the entire structure.
View the DOT flier
