Borough President James P. Molinaro wants the existing roads in the Fresh Kills Landfill open to commuter traffic by 2007.  The roads will help relieve traffic congestion in Staten Island’s busy Richmond Avenue commercial district.

Closed in 2001, the former landfill contains East-West and North-South roads that were used by Department of Sanitation vehicles to travel around Fresh Kills when the landfill was in operation. 

Now, Borough President Molinaro is advocating the idea of recycling the roads within the Fresh Kills Landfill for residents to use. “Opening up these roads makes sense.” Molinaro said. “They already exist and do not pass through any residential neighborhoods.  They will ease traffic between the Richmond Avenue shopping area in New Springville and the West Shore Expressway.  To me, it would be senseless not to jump at this unique opportunity.”

Traffic continues to increase at a rate of up to 3 percent each year on Staten Island.  With the highest car ownership rate in New York City, Staten Island needs to think outside the box when it comes to traffic solutions.  Studies have shown that the new routes between Richmond Avenue and the West Shore Expressway through Fresh Kills would bring badly needed relief to Staten Island motorists.

At Borough President Molinaro’s request, the Department of City Planning has included designs for roads in its “Fresh Kills End Use Master Plan.”  Proposed designs for the landfill roads call for scenic drives which may include bicycle and jogging paths.  These new roads will provide an alternative to the heavily congested New Springville portion of Richmond Avenue, as well as Travis Avenue and Arthur Kill Road.

SIBOR members, polled recently, overwhelmingly agree with the Borough President. “I strongly believe that Borough President James P. Molinaro's request that the existing roads in the Fresh Kills Landfill be open to commuter traffic by 2007 is a very essential and a great idea for commuters,” said Mike Merola of Coldwell Banker Village Realty. “The congestion on any given afternoon between the hours of 3:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. in the area of New Springville proves something has to be done since the population of our  Borough is increasing dramatically.”

“It makes perfect sense,” said Josephine Mannarino of Robert DeFalco Realty. “For the most part, the construction of the roads is already in place and although I haven't actually seen plans for this, I think this is a great solution to relieve traffic congestion. Regarding “The Dump,” for years it was considered a negative for the Island, even to this day perspective home buyers ask ‘is it near the dump?’ If opening the roads and creating scenic drives, jogging and bicycle paths does come to fruition, that question would never be asked again.”

Glenn Blair of Marge Young Real Estate said, “These links for commercial traffic from the West Shore Expressway to our busiest commercial districts are long overdue.  This would allow a revamping of existing truck routes from our bridges that are currently passing through residential districts and secondary roads.”

SIBOR affiliate member Dovid Winiarz offered this thought.  “Opening up these roads will benefit everyone. Isn't it every Realtor’s dream to market a home as 'close to everything'?  With the new roads, a home on the south shore will now be close to the mall, close to more bus routes and close to their friends on the North Shore. Easing congestion without affecting neighborhoods is a win-win scenario for everyone involved.”  

“As we all know, and contrary to a few objections, Staten Island will have (I believe) a raceway in its future,” said Ted Williams of Century 21 Safari Realty. “So, anything we can do now to prevent our current 3 percent increase in traffic from going up to 4-5 cent, or more would be helpful, as a larger population tries to get to the facilities the Island has to offer.  More people in Queens and Brooklyn are looking to move into Staten Island because, compared to where they live, this is a more affordable alternative.  More families, more cars, more children, more school buses, more people, more sanitation trucks, equals the need for more delivery vans, and 18-wheelers to feed the hungry multitudes. Just possibly, we might be able to divert traffic, so at least some of the streets can be repaired.”

However some SIBOR members expressed a more guarded approach. “My initial reaction to this proposal was ‘sounds great,’ said Ira Kamil, broker/owner of Access Realty Group. “Less traffic on Richmond Avenue, wow! The roads are already there; so let's use them! But is it too good to be true? Would there be any residual environmental issues? Would there be any traffic issues resulting from this addition? And the big one - how much would this cost us? Let's not make hasty decisions! We need to study the proposal, analyze the cause and effect, and come up with a plan that works. Again, it sounds great, so we have to look at everything involved, including the possible turbulence it may cause. Mr. Molinaro is a real ‘Staten Islander’ and I applaud his efforts for improving the infrastructure. Let's help him make Staten Island a better borough.”

“It sounds like a wonderful alternate, but is it safe?” asked Kathy Bolognese of Campo Realty. “Has the American Cancer Society reviewed the proposal and determined the site to be healthy for the joggers and cyclists - if so it gets my vote.”

“If you’re on Hylan Boulevard, or any main street at about 3:00 p.m. any day, you could understand his proposal,” said Marge Gatti of Robert DeFalco Realty. “But what about the terrible odor when driving through the area in the summer, especially if you have children or elderly people in your car?  Is there a solution to that problem here?”

Dennis Semenza of RE/MAX Regal Real Estate said, “It may sound like this is the answer but first look at existing roads and their capacity to expand. Many congested areas could be alleviated if simple common sense methods of allowing traffic to flow more freely were implemented. Some road engineers and designers seem either oblivious to good road flow or unwilling to take the time to evaluate the situation at hand. It took 25 years for them to finally expand the turning lane and put traffic agents on Hylan Blvd and New Dorp Lane. Certainly putting a road through this landfill may be at some point be a good alternative but not looking at other remedies first is short sighted at best and could rob us all of the best use for this former landfill.”

Still, most SIBOR members reacted very positively to the proposal and two likened it to a very famous area in Manhattan. “It sounds like Staten Island's version of the roads that cut through Central Park said Adam Weintraub, broker/owner of the Berns Agency. “No residential homes or commercial activity and with scenic drives, Wow! The debate better be solely - How soon?”

Angela Giordano of Giordano Real Estate summed it up this way, “I believe that anything that can be done to relieve traffic congestion is a plus. The entire island has been plagued with poor traffic planning when it comes to residential and commercial development. Besides, if done right, this could be our Central Park.”