To the Editor:
As I’ve been walking the neighborhoods in the 3rd Ward and listening to our residents concerns, it has become apparent that many people are rightfully frustrated with the four barrels, a.k.a. “The Monument,” placed at the intersections of Avenue E and East 45th Street. The barrels cover a section of roadway that I am told sits atop a broken sewer line.
As a result, I contacted the director of the Bayonne MUA, Steve Gallo, and he explained the situation and advised me that the MUA has received a number of complaints and had been working on a repair. Apparently, the pipe is very deep and is partially collapsed. This has been confirmed by video inspection. The authority has been looking for a repair method that would not require a complete excavation of the street down to about 20 feet. This would require a very large hole and the possible closing of the street for a time.
Mr. Gallo explained that the authority is going out to bid this week for a repair using “trenchless technology,” which would not require a large excavation. Using this method, a pipe is inserted in the damaged pipe through a manhole. I am assured that the MUA has recently allocated the resources to address the problem, and that the authority will be advertising bids in the next week expediting the repair work. Repairs should be underway in the very near future.
I want to thank the residents for their concerns and I will stay on top of this issue to make sure it gets done.
RAY GREAVES
Candidate for 3rd Ward