Ghastly Goethals

The Port Authority revealed this month that the Goethals Bridge walkway will remain closed for another five years. Closed in summer 1995 for sidewalk repairs, the path was scheduled to open last November. But while repairing the sidewalk, the agency found deterioration in the sidewalk's steel supports.

Work will take place from 2001 to 2003, after which time the agency says the walkway will reopen.

Cyclists should ask why the agency failed first to inspect the path thoroughly in 1995 and then to notify the public about the path's prolonged closure. The lack of timely and accurate information about the Goethals walkway reflects a casual attitude toward non-motorized access to the bridge.

No shuttle service is planned for the five years that the sidewalk will be out of service, leaving pedestrians and cyclists without a good connection from Staten Island to Central Jersey.

To demand faster repairs and better information, write:

Louis Tomson
First Deputy Secretary to the Governor
State Capitol, Rm. 207
Albany, NY 12224
fax 518-473-7619