Addabbo Thanks City for Repairs to Abandoned Railroad Stanchions

Howard Beach, NY (April 14, 2016) After previously calling on city agencies to restore deteriorating stanchions supporting an abandoned rail line running through central and southern Queens, Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. recognized city agencies today for beginning the much needed repairs to parts of the structure.

Addabbo held a press conference in December to bring attention to severely damaged concrete stanchions supporting an unused rail line at several locations in his district, including the structure at Yellowstone Boulevard and Kessel Street in Forest Hills, which was in extremely poor condition. The Senator then sent a letter to the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services requesting that resources be deployed to repair the stanchions as soon as possible.

The Senator continued discussions with DCAS as well as Mayor de Blasio’s office and successfully advocated for the repair of the stanchions in Forest Hills, which took place last month.

“The disrepair these structures were in just a few months ago posed a serious hazard to the community,” said Addabbo. “This rail line may be abandoned, but the structure still stands over an active roadway and pedestrian underpass, putting thousands of people in danger as the rust-covered stanchions that support it were crumbling more and more each day. It was time to finally shed some light on the hazardous state these stanchions were in before a preventable tragedy occurred. After much determination and hard work with various city agencies, I am proud to announce today that the stanchions at Yellowstone Boulevard and Kessel Street have now been repaired with new concrete and paint to support this rail line. I thank the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services as well as Mayor de Blasio’s office for their help on this issue and look forward to seeing repairs continue in other locations.”

“Thank you to Senator Addabbo and the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services for being proactive rather than reactive before someone was seriously hurt and for fixing the existing problem,” said Frank Gulluscio, District Manager for Community Board 6.

Addabbo plans to continue working with the appropriate city agencies to ensure that all other locations in need of work are repaired and made safe for the community.