The Atlantic Terminal “sarcophagi” have been relegated to the land of the dead.
Workers ripped out controversial giant granite bollards that obstructed the sidewalk in front of the Long Island Rail Road station on July 24 to make room for a newer, sleeker set of car-blockers promised by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The rectangular boulders, which critics claim resembled Egyptian tombs, were designed to prevent vehicles from ramming into Atlantic Terminal. But the sizable security structures also blocked commuters on the busy sidewalk in front of the station — adding ire to eyesore.
And their removal couldn’t have come soon enough, straphangers said.
“If something practical comes along, like a bench, that’d be great,” said passerby Robert Entrekin.
Transit officials installed the huge bollards after renovating the station in 2010 — and defended their outlandish scale by claiming the met safety standards mandated by police.
But the over-sized stones actually exceeded NYPD guidelines by at least two feet in height — and transit officials eventually agreed with commuters and counter-terrorism experts who said they had to go.
MTA officials planned to tear out the over-sized blocks in February, but pushed back the demolition until this week.
The bollards didn’t win over many fans at first — but some Brooklynites had grown accustomed to the barricades.
“Where am I going to eat my sandwich now?” asked a disappointed sandwich-toting passerby.
