A net installed beneath a Bayonne bridge to keep pigeons away from the area has instead left a number of birds trapped behind it, creating a new problem as the city tries to address long-standing concerns over bird droppings.
The netting was recently installed beneath the bridge at Broadway and West Eighth Street. The city said the measure was intended to reduce the buildup of pigeon waste beneath bridges, an issue officials have described as a continuing public health concern.
Before the netting was installed, the area required regular cleaning by the Department of Public Works. City officials said those efforts did not provide a lasting solution.
The installation, however, did not go as planned.
Some pigeons remained in the bridge’s structural spaces as the netting was being completed. Once the netting was closed, the birds were unable to leave the enclosed area.
The city said it placed traps containing food and water inside the structure as part of an effort to capture the birds and release them. A contractor was also brought back to the site to carry out releases, with additional checks planned as the effort continues.
But residents say the response has not moved quickly enough.
By Sept. 3, reports indicated that many pigeons were still trapped beneath the bridge and that some birds had died. The development prompted renewed concern among people who regularly pass through the area.
Some residents have also attempted to help birds that were successfully released. One local resident took six pigeons to a wildlife rehabilitation facility for care, according to recent reporting.
The situation has drawn attention because the netting was installed to solve one neighborhood problem while unintentionally creating another.
Residents have described the bird droppings beneath the bridge as a serious nuisance. Eileen Murphy, who frequently walks through the area, said she is particularly concerned about the conditions because she has COPD and worries about what she may be breathing near the site.
Other residents said the area is noticeably cleaner since the netting was installed, even as they questioned how the birds were handled during the installation.
Fred Gattuso said the conditions beneath the bridge had previously been bad enough that pedestrians sometimes avoided the sidewalk. At the same time, he said the trapped pigeons should have been dealt with before the netting was secured.
Another resident, David Finney, said he understood the city’s goal but believed the project should have included a way for the birds to remain safely in the area or be removed before the netting was closed.
The city has acknowledged that pigeons were still roosting in the bridge’s eaves during the final stage of installation. Officials said the capture-and-release operation will continue until the remaining birds have been removed.
The city also asked residents not to feed the trapped pigeons, saying doing so could make the birds more difficult to capture and release.
For now, the netting remains in place as officials and the contractor work to clear the birds from inside the structure. The city has said the broader goal is to prevent pigeons from returning to the bridge while reducing the accumulation of bird waste below it.
The incident has left residents waiting to see whether the city can resolve the immediate problem while keeping the original purpose of the netting intact.
