Construction begins on new cell phone towers near Palisades Parkway
NEW YORK - Local officials have said that a lack of cell phone towers along the Palisades Parkway creates a potentially dangerous “dead zone” near Route 6, where drivers and hikers cannot receive a cell phone signal.
“It becomes a matter of life and death,” said Woodbury EMS volunteer Deborah Vobroucek. “There are many times we can’t even get through to make that call.”
The dangerous dead zones have plagued parts of the Palisades Parkway and state parks in Orange County for years. And with local officials and EMS volunteers pressing for more coverage areas, those dead zones may finally be ending this summer.
“These cell towers are long overdue, I'm so glad that Verizon finally committed to completing these cell towers, now we have to make sure that the coverage exists and people can access their phones and make phone calls throughout the Hudson Valley,” said State Senator David Carlucci.
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Lawmakers demand end to phone dead zones along Palisades Parkway
Drivers taking the Palisades Parkway to Route 6 between Orange and Rockland Counties often find themselves unable to place mobile phone calls due to a lack of Verizon cell phone towers in the area, a fact that local officials say is dangerous and must change.
Sen. Carlucci has been calling on Verizon to build cell phone towers, citing multiple safety issues for not only commuters and hikers, but first responders as well. And with construction reportedly beginning on two towers in Orange County, hikers and first responders say they’re already feeling safer.
“We know that, if somebody is in trouble, they can call us, they can tell us where they are and we can get to them,” Vobroucek said.
Sen. Carlucci says that two Verizon cell towers at Tomkins Cove and Bear Mountain are expected to be completed by the end of August, but given Verizon’s track record thus far, Carlucci says he has his doubts with that timeline, so he is urging all residents to call Verizon and urge them to keep them safe.
In a statement, Verizon told FOX 5 NY: "We are working to add two cell sites to t his area to provide additional coverage. If all goes as expected, they will be online later this year."