What was once the east Bronx’s unofficial ‘truck stop’ is now morphing into something else: a ‘boat dump.’
Two recreational boats were abandoned along the outskirts of Pelham Bay Park on Bruckner Boulevard between Wilkinson Avenue and Middletown Road during the July 4th holiday, with one so large that it obstructed traffic for a few days along the highway service road.
“We have seen illegal tractor trailer parking along Bruckner Boulevard next to the park, but this is the first time I have seen a boat left there,” said George Havranek, Spencer Estate Civic Association vice-president. “I’ve seen boats dumped near boat yards before, but never in this location.”
Havranek said that the association has been drawing attention to the issue of 18-wheelers parking on this stretch of Bruckner Boulevard.
He said in the past that he believes that local truckers may be leaving their vehicles there in order to spend some time with their family.
But now the area is also morphing into a storage area for other kinds of vehicles, including boat trailers, he said.
“I also saw a trailer at this location that had a least two boats on it that didn’t appear as if they were being abandoned,” he said. “It looked like they were being stored there.”
NYC Department of Sanitation confirmed that they removed the two abandoned boats at the location in response to community concerns, said a DSNY spokeswoman Dina Montes.
One was removed on Friday, July 5 and a second one was hauled away on Tuesday, July 9, said Montes, who added that the second boat appeared along Bruckner Boulevard after the first one was removed.
“When it comes to illegal dumping and disposing of large materials, residents are our best partners to stop it,” stated Montes.
“If someone witnessed the dumping of these boats, or any illegal dumping, we ask that they report it to 311 or online. Information from the public is very useful to us in trying to establish a pattern of behavior so we can catch the culprits,” he added.
Councilman Mark Gjonaj said that the prolific tractor-trailer parking problems on Bruckner Boulevard next to Pelham Bay Park has now led to illegal boat dumping, and that his office “is all over” the problem.
“This is something that we are addressing with local authorities,” said Gjonaj, adding he is creating a platform, with the hashtag #shamenyc, where people can report quality of life concerns directly to the councilman and city agencies.
