By Kathianne Boniello
If everything goes according to plan, residents should see progress in the reconstruction of the Cross Island Parkway-Long Island Expressway interchange by December, project engineers said this week.
The engineers gave a report to Borough President Claire Shulman Monday at a Borough Board meeting, which also featured updates on the work to reconstruct entrance and exit ramps between the Clearview and Long Island Expressways. In addition, the project to reconstruct and reconfigure the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway between Broadway and 35th Avenue was discussed.
State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jennifer Nelson said all three projects appeared on schedule in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
The Cross Island Parkway-LIE project, which also includes the reconstruction of 14 LIE overpasses, should make significant progress by the end of the year, project engineers Bob Carbone and Ralph Csogi told Shulman.
Because LIE overpasses in Little Neck are being rebuilt one side at a time — including the Marathon, Douglaston and Little Neck Parkway bridges — Csogi said he hoped to finish current work and switch sides by December.
The engineer also said a major temporary bridge over the westbound LIE should be partially completed at that time, allowing workers to begin demolishing the old bridge.
The engineer for the Clearview Expressway-LIE project said work there was proceeding as planned.
Engineer Pat Prancl said the work involves the reconstruction or repaving of the eight entrance-exit ramps between the two expressways.
Prancl said the ramp connecting the westbound LIE to the northbound Clearview would be done in stages and should be completed before winter.
An engineer for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway project said the schedule for the work on the thoroughfare appeared unaffected by the World Trade Center attack.
The goal of the project is to reconstruct and reconfigure the lanes of the BQE to improve their alignment and increase safety, the engineer said.
Reach reporter Kathianne Boniello by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.caom or call 229-0300, Ext. 146.
