BAY RIDGE: Ridge sinkhole repairs are wreaking havoc on 92nd Street, residents claim

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By Will Bredderman

Brooklyn Daily

Repair work on the 92nd Street sinkhole is causing stinky floods and taking up cherished parking spots, blasted furious residents who are demanding that construction on Bay Ridge’s not-so-grand canyon be completed as soon as possible.

City officials say the broken underground sewer main will be repaired and the 70-foot sinkhole will be filed by the end of the month, but residents who are bailing out their basements and circling the street looking for parking say work should have been completed weeks ago.

“The sewer backed right up into my home!” charged Vivi Houdalis, who had to toss out thousands of dollars worth of ruined furniture and shoes as a result of the flood she says was caused by the sinkhole repairs. “Construction workers told me there’s a possibility this could happen every time it rains.”

Yet the city says it isn’t responsible for the flood.

“No incidence of flooding from recent rainfall has any connection to the compromised sewer on 92nd Street,” city spokesman Corey Chambliss said.

The ongoing construction is also outraging motorists who claim that the city changed parking regulations on the block so construction crews could take up more spaces..

“It’s almost impossible to find any spots now,” said resident Fred Munoz, who was recently slapped with a $55 ticket when he parked in a spot designated for construction vehicles.

Munoz brought his complaint to city officials at a recent community meeting, but Department of Environmental Protection heads quickly passed the buck.

“We are not responsible for issuing tickets,” Department of Environmental Preservation Deputy Commissioner Jim Roberts said.

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