LIRR using viaduct area to store materials

A three-block section under the Long Island Rail Road viaduct in Lindenhurst has turned into a storage area for the railroad's construction materials -- steel girders, concrete blocks, even a crane. Village officials say they weren't consulted about the storage and they've been asking the LIRR to move it somewhere else. They haven't had success.

It's not a typical day when a municipality turns to Watchdog for assistance. But village officials felt they had exhausted their options.

They're not happy that a section under the viaduct -- the landmark that bisects the village's downtown -- has become an open-air storage facility.

The viaduct is "in the heart of the village, it runs straight through, something that's visible and used every day," Village Clerk Shawn Cullinane said.

Indeed, the structure bisects the village into north and south. It's where the main avenue splits into South Wellwood and North Wellwood, lined with retail shops and other businesses that spill onto Hoffman Avenue, which runs parallel to the viaduct. Heading west on Hoffman, the businesses yield to housing.

The concrete and steel occupy part of that stretch, starting five blocks west of Wellwood and extending for three more blocks.

Such open-air storage "was never the intent of the underside of the viaduct," Cullinane said. "To top that, it's in the middle of our village," in full view of the front doors of several homes.

SEE PHOTOSLIRR trains and commuters through the years

The viaduct turned into an open-air construction closet, unannounced, more than a year ago, he said. "It just showed up one day. Now it's a full-fledged storage facility."

Aesthetics aside, the village is also concerned about safety: The storage area is surrounded by a chain-link fence with noticeable gaps.

Several months ago village officials met with LIRR representatives about the viaduct plus other matters involving upkeep and repair. Two issues were addressed, Cullinane said, including removal of an abandoned double-wide trailer (bearing an "LIRR Waiting Room" sign) that had also been stored under the viaduct. But the girders and blocks remain.

In response to a phone call from Watchdog, the LIRR issued a statement Wednesday saying efforts are being made to find another storage site.

"The LIRR will schedule a meeting with Village officials, as soon as possible, to review an alternate storage location prior to scheduling the relocation of the right-of-way materials," spokesman Sam Zambuto wrote.

The LIRR has limited storage facilities, Zambuto said Thursday, and the Lindenhurst viaduct site keeps materials near the Babylon Branch tracks "for quick and easy access to use for emergency repair" of raised embankments. The beams and blocks are used in construction of soil retaining walls on the embankments, he said.

The official statement went on to say the LIRR "strives to be a good neighbor in the communities we serve" and referred to the earlier removal of the trailer.

On Friday, Cullinane said he hadn't received a call from the LIRR yet. He's waiting.