The fight to keep a Staten Island street from sinking

(New York-WABC, September 14, 2007) (WABC) -- It was a pothole that could swallow a car. Actually, the city called it a street collapse. What they didn't do was fix it.

But before their street completely sunk, they got 7 On Your Side to help make their street safe again.

If you're driving down this Staten Island street, beware. Since late spring, half the street has been slowly collapsing.

On a day we visited the sinkhole was completely submerged. All that was visible were these ominous pavement cracks.

Tappy Phillips: "And how long has this puddle of water, sinkhole been here?"
Beth Ann Trombetta: "Since May 1st."

That's when Beth Ann Trombetta started filing complaints with the city.

Tappy: "You haven't seen them out here?"
Beth Ann: "No, they've been out here, but a long time ago and it's just ... they left it this way."

That's the city's Department of Environmental Protection, who inspected it and left behind a few cones and a barricade.

Now residents are angry they never came back to fix the problem -- especially since a school is right down the street.

"Not just for my son's bus, but maybe for some other cars that might come by, they'll just slide right into this hole, tip over, who knows what's going to happen," homeowner Diane Tortora said.

"We have a handicapped child that takes the bus every morning, and I'm just worried that the kids walking by or the school buses, that the street is going to cave in," Beth Ann said.

Beth Ann says she called and complained repeatedly, but kept getting passed from agency to agency.

The DEP told us the leak started under a private residence nearby and they had to wait until that was fixed.

Tappy: "How do you think the city responded to your complaints?"
Beth Ann: "Poorly."

A day after our call, DEP made a temporary fix before school began. Then a week later, DEP dug up the street, filled in the hole and finished the job properly.

"They came back on Friday at seven and they did it correctly," Beth Ann said.

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