A large pothole that had been doubling as a trash receptacle in the middle of a Jerome Park intersection has finally been fixed, after an official from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) explained the cause of the delay was a broken “catch basin” that needed to be repaired.

 

A catch basin is located at the point where a street gutter discharges into a sewer and is designed to catch and retain matter that would not pass readily through the sewer.

The pothole, which first appeared in late November 2021, at the intersection of East 204th Street and Jerome Avenue, gradually expanded to become more crater-like. When Norwood News took the initiative to report the issue to the City’s Department of Transportation (DOT), the hole had become a traffic hazard, as evidenced by the cones that had been erected around it, preventing Bronxites from driving over the hole due to the potential damage it would cause their vehicles.

 

DOT said they had no record of a complaint and advised us to log a 311 complaint. A complaint was duly filed with 311 on December 2, and the 311 operator said the problem would be corrected within 15 days. It wasn’t. Construction workers would return at least three more times over the next three months, and on two occasions placed a sheet of metal that covered the hole temporarily, until the catch basin was eventually fixed on March 15.

On March 24, Douglas Auer, an official with the DEP press office told Norwood News, “The emergency contractor completed repairs at this location on Tuesday, March 15. Final paving is done, and the roadway is no longer plated.”

 

Auer was asked what caused the problem to begin with. On March 25, he replied, saying, “The road condition was caused by a collapsed catch basin chute pipe from the basin on the northeast corner.” He added, “The contractor replaced it.”

 

 

Moral of the Story? Despite the apathy that is sometimes felt by residents when it comes to their faith in the 311 service, the message appears to be, “If you see something, say something.” Persevere and log a complaint. It might take a while, but you’re guaranteed issues will take even longer to resolve if no 311 complaints are logged.