BY JASON COHEN
For years fl ooding has
plagued roadways in Pelham
Bay Park, yet still the Department
of Transportation has not
fi xed the streets.
In early 2020 before the pandemic
arrived, John Doyle,
president of City Island Rising,
testifi ed at an open senate hearing
in the state budget about
fl ooding on numerous roads
in Pelham Bay Park and City
Island. While he understands
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc,
this was not the fi rst time this
issue was dressed.
Three years ago, several City
Island residents sent a letter
to the DOT, Parks and Department
of Environmental Protection
(DEP) addressing their concerns
about the fl ooding. The
roads referenced were: the on/
off ramps off of the Hutchinson
River Parkway (Exit 5) and
Shore Road, City Island Road
and Shore Road, Park Drive between
Orchard Beach Road and
City Island Road and City Island
Road between Shore Road
and Rodman’s Neck Circle.
“In recent years, a great
deal of attention has focused
on the condition and irrigation
of Shore Road within Pelham
Bay Park however there are
also many additional drainage
problems within the Park that
have yet to be addressed,” they
said in the letter in 2018. “These
problems create dangerous
roadway conditions from hydroplaning
in more temperate
months to dangerous ice conditions
during the winter season
that can lead to deadly automobile
crashes. Indeed, it is not
uncommon to see large and potentially
perilous pools of water
along the roadway after even
minor rainfall.”
The entrance to Orchard
Beach at Park Drive between
Orchard Beach Road and City
Island Road has become such a
hazard that Doyle has dubbed it
“Lake Orchard.” He noted that
it fl oods often and to “fi x” it the
city puts cones around the water.
Will it take an accident for
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 14 AN. 29-FEB. 4, 2021
the city to take action, he said.
This is unacceptable.
Like many things in the
Bronx, this feels like something
that would not be ignored
in other boroughs, he stressed.
In the winter the potholes get
worse as they freeze over.
Doyle pointed out that the
fl ooding must be fi xed as City
Island and Pelham Bay Park
are listed as Zone 1 Evacuation
Zones by NYC Emergency Management,
which indicate both
areas are at high risk in a natural
disaster.
“These kinds of conditions
would never be tolerated in
Manhattan,” he said. “I think
the roadway is poorly constructed.”
District Manager of Community
Board 10 Matt Cruz shares
his sentiments. Cruz said the
DOT had a site visit for “Lake
Orchard” in September, yet
nothing has been done.
Cruz explained that typically
DOT says they lack funding
for this project and it would
take years to repair.
“We defi nitely want to see
it fi xed,” he said. “Ponding issues
are prevalent throughout
the district. It seems like the
city never wants to dedicate resources
to it.”
A DOT spokesman said it
has completed a few interim
repairs of potholes and roadway
defects, however a longterm
solution for this fl ooded
roadway will need to be coordinated
with its partner agencies,
Parks and DEP.
CB 10 and City Island
residents want fl ooding
in PB Park fi xed
Flooding near the entrance to Orchard Beach Photos courtesy of John Doyle