More work needed to clean up Roosevelt Avenue in NYC, state senator says
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QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) -- Roosevelt Avenue in Queens has long faced quality of life issues, including concerns over crime and public safety.
A city-led, multi-agency initiative to clean up the area recently completed its 90-day mark. Now a state senator wants to see additional investments in the community from the state.
State Sen. Jessica Ramos said despite a 90-day push from the city to clean up Roosevelt Avenue, the area is anything but restored.
"It's still littered with potholes and garbage because the sanitation department has removed trash cans," Ramos said.
The city launched Operation Restore Roosevelt in October. The goal of the initiative was to deal with illegal brothels, human trafficking, and unlicensed vending in the area.
Ramos, who is running for mayor, said those issues have not been solved. She said more investments are needed and wants to see renovations to the Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street station.
"It hasn’t been properly maintained and now that the Q70 is bringing so many people who come to New York City through LaGuardia Airport, this is the first train station they get to see, and of course we as the neighbors in Jackson Heights also deserve to have a beautiful train station," Ramos said.
Ramos is now embarking on a budget initiative to earmark $100 million in the state’s 2026 budget for the station.
The MTA said it has previously replaced escalators at the stop and appreciates the senator's commitment to improving the station.
Mayor Eric Adams was on Roosevelt Avenue last week along with several city agencies, business leaders and community members.
The city said during the 90-day operation it issued more than 11,000 summonses and made more than 880 arrests, with less than 120 of them being prostitution-related.
The city also confiscated nearly 700 vehicles and completed 245 building inspections and 505 vendor inspections.
New York City Council member Francisco Moya, who represents part of the area, said residents and businesses are telling him they are thrilled with the progress.
“We have seen a transformation from where we started to where we are today. We always said in 90 days we wouldn’t solve the problem, but we’ve seen a major transformation of the area," Moya said. "Everyone we talk to said this is a major improvement and we need to continue this, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
The city said that while Operation Restore Roosevelt is done for now, it will continue to deploy the resources needed to continue to maintain the quality of life on Roosevelt Avenue.