By Phil Pepe
I decided to write this report on poor road conditions on Tuckahoe Road not because in my career work I worked in the fields of transportation and infrastructure investment and authored by-lined articles for senior transportation officials on those public policy issues. Not because as a college student I earned money for college working summers as a laborer for the Westchester County Department of Road Maintenance repairing and paving County roads, but simply because I was sick and tired of the jarring sensation of my car bouncing over sunken and lopsided manhole covers, depressed road surfaces, and in one case a large utility grate near Boo Wilson Park that has clearly led a hard life.
Yes, its true that Tuckahoe Road is one of the most heavily trafficked roadways in Yonkers, with average daily traffic in the range of 47,000 vehicles, many of them trucks, which only add to the road’s woes. So it is understandable that the road takes a beating, but that only fortifies the case for it to be in better repair. Poor road surfaces are not only uncomfortable to drive on, damaging to tires, suspensions, alignment, etc, but there are safety issues as well. In some spots one has to hold onto the steering wheel to maintain course.
Responsibility for road repair is shared. The area from the Bronx River to the Thruway Bridge by the Regency Hotel is Westchester County’s to maintain. From there on, the City of Yonkers. takes over to Saw Mill River Road.
For whatever reason the westbound lanes seem most in need of repair. Just past Roosevelt High School by 625 Tuckahoe Road are a couple of sunken manhole covers. Not far away at Wainwright Avenue, there are three such in a cluster. A memorable dip when you hit them.
It’s not clear at this writing when these were last inspected by the County or what plans are for repair. If the manhole covers are the responsibility of utilities, they should be notified accordingly. If the County’s to repair, well, delaying repair means they will only get worse. Drivers deserve a better ride.
On the City of Yonkers side, a spot in the right hand lane in front of the Regency Hotel is famous for being rutted and depressed. Although this area is New York State DOT owned, City of Yonkers is paid by the State to perform ordinary maintenance. But the ‘fix’ here is structural and the city’s position, and it seems quite fair is that this major repair falls to the State. City officials say they are in touch with NYS State DOT in this regard.
Father on heading west, a utility grate is in progressively worsening condition. I sometimes fear the entire thing will just drop out of sight with some poor soul’s Honda going along for the ride!.Yonkers confirms they are working with the utility to address this. Long overdue, but good news.
While political candidates and elected officials like to tout high toned ideals, grand schemes, the truth is some of the most important and ‘audible’ issues are on the granular level – like maintaining roads. Considered not sexy in the political sense, but touches citizens and businesses in a very fundamental way.
A candidate saying, ” I’ll conduct a review of local roadways and bring them up to driveable and safety standard,” can really resonate. ‘Your tax dollars at work’, a sign sometimes seen by roadway projects. Citizens ‘get it.’ Business ‘get it.’ More important, voters ‘get it.’
Well maintained highways and roads keep cities, counties and states competitive for business. When transportation related businesses become too exasperated with traffic delays, overtime costs for drivers, fuel cost, they look for better venues. In the 1980’s, New York State lost countless jobs and hundreds of thousands of residents, many following their employment to states known for high quality roadways – the Carolinas chief among them. Then-Governor Mario M. Cuomo seemed to acknowledge that with his ‘Rebuild New York Bond Issue.’ ( By the way a new transportation bond issue for New York State is long overdue. )
In Indiana toll roads are privately owned through arrangements known as PPP – Public Private Partnerships, often known as ‘Where Wall Street meets Main Street.’ Highly sophisticated investment groups and government agencies enter into detailed maintenance and hiring agreements that run for years. The private entity oversees the highways, or other transportation hub, like an airport, the government gets a regular check and is freed of maintenance responsibilities. The Chicago Skyway, long a sore spot as poorly maintained with endless congestion, was one such. Turned over to a private investment group with transportation experts included, it was soon well maintained and with greatly improved traffic flow.
In working on this article, I found it encouraging where municipal officials, especially in Yonkers, were both interested and anxious to address roadway issues. And just driving around Yonkers recently I see a number of new paving projects going forward. All to the good!
Reminds me of the blazing hot summer days when I was the guy rolling the hot asphalt or swinging a pick to get a pot hole ready to be filled! Little did I imagine then that those experiences would come to play a role in my career work.
The writer worked as Assistant to the late Yonkers Mayor Angelo R. Martinelli from 1982-86 during which time he oversaw The Special Downtown Development Projects of the Mayor’s office including the renovation of the historic Yonkers Main Train Station, writing the successful case for Yonkers’ Amtrak stop, and the original Yonkers Farmers Market. In 1986 he formed a public affairs and communications consulting practice with clients in the fields of transportation, economic development, and environmental practice in New York State, five other states, and in eastern Canada.
