By Carol P. Bartold     

Sep. 14, 2016:  Mayor Mary Marvin described the summer of 2016 as the busiest, in terms of capital and infrastructure improvements in the village, in her eleven-year term. At the September 12 Bronxville Board of Trustees meeting, Marvin outlined projects that have begun, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Midland Valley Drainage Project and the new downtown street lighting upgrade. Completed projects include a new front sidewalk and steps at village hall, $100,000 in paving and curbing throughout the village, and the survey of the village sanitary sewer system.

However, a prime focal point in the daily life of Bronxville residents, merchants, and visitors, and one badly in need of improvement, is one over which the village has no jurisdiction--the Pondfield Road underpass beneath the railroad tracks and the Bronxville Metro-North Railroad Station environs in general.

Village concerns specific to the Bronxville station and the underpass include debris beneath the tracks and platform that poses a danger to the train and the public; bird droppings on the Pondfield Road walkway in the underpass; the rusting of handrails, electrical fixtures, conduits, and lights; the ponding of water in the underpass after every snow- and rainstorm, resulting in slip-and-fall accidents; and peeling paint on the station walls.

The village has asked the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to upgrade the station's signage for safety and aesthetic reasons, periodically clean up garbage and litter on the station property, properly maintain safety warning signs, and install spikes to prevent birds from nesting in the underpass.

"A few of our residents have asked me when we're going to do something about the railroad underpass. It's on our radar, but there is nothing we can do," said trustee Guy Longobardo. "We aren't permitted to touch that."

Marvin added that the village offered to paint the rusted overpass and install improved lighting underneath it, but Metro-North refused the offer based on liability issues and the fact that any work performed by village crews would take work away from the railroad's union members.

Village administrator Jim Palmer reported, however, that he and Wayne Ballard, the superintendent of public works, have had several conversations and walk-arounds with MTA representatives to determine areas at and around the station that need repair and improvement. Palmer feels strongly that improvements could commence within the next few weeks.

On Thursday, September 15, and Friday, September 16, Palmer said, the MTA will inspect the underpass to determine the integrity of the beams and structure, to examine the abutments, and to evaluate the condition of tracks, roadways, and walkways that span the underpass. In addition, the agency has taken samples of paint from the bridge over the underpass for testing to determine if the paint contains lead.

According to Marvin, the transit authority has agreed to install new lighting, wire benches, and signage on the platforms.

"Sadly, we have all gotten used to that underpass," Marvin noted. She related that when downtown business consultant Richard Preiss of Phillips Preiss Grygiel LLC first saw the underpass, "he thought it was the ugliest thing he had ever seen going from one business district to another" and wondered why anyone would use it to walk between business districts.

Both Marvin and Palmer noted that the village is committed to securing improvements at the Bronxville station and the Pondfield Road underpass that complement and support the downtown business districts.

Pictured here:  Bronxville train station.

Photo by A. Warner