By Sophia Chang
But concerns linger about the ability of emergency vehicles to travel through the area, and City Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) said he would lobby the LIRR to keep one side of the parkway open during the construction even as work began Monday.
The emergency vehicle compromise, brokered by state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) and members of the Community Board 11, was reached at a meeting with LIRR officials Friday morning, according to CB 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece.
“Their initial plan was totally unacceptable. Closing that area would landlock approximately 250 homes,” Iannece said. “It would have also been very dangerous because no emergency vehicles would have been allowed to pass.”
The work is to replace the rubber grade crossing that connects the tracks to the street in order to provide a level passage for pedestrians and motorists, Iannece said. The LIRR is installing pre-fabricated concrete slabs that will last longer and offer a smoother transition than the bumpy rubber panels.
“The good news is the work will be done more efficiently and more expeditiously and the crossing will be safer,” said Brian Dolan, spokesman for the LIRR.
The parkway is still restricted to local residents from 42nd Avenue north, however, and MTA police officers were stationed at that intersection to ensure that no through traffic traveled into the neighborhood.
“During the period of construction they would have actual security and police officers deterring people from using that road except for residents who are landlocked. Some people were using the road as a shortcut to Northern (Boulevard) and Long Island,” Iannece said. “Now they're leaving it accessible only to those who are north of the tracks.”
And even emergency vehicles will not be able to pass through the crossing in the two days construction workers install the center concrete slab and completely close the crossing. That closure was expected to be July 14 and July 21 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Otherwise, the crossing was to be restricted to a single lane July 15, 16, 22, 23, 28 and 29 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and closed to non-emergency vehicles July 19 and July 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The road was expected to be open when construction was not being done. The LIRR recommended detours using Sand Hill Road and Douglaston Parkway.
After learning of the planned traffic rerouting, Iannece and Bernard Haber sent a letter to LIRR officials on behalf of CB 11 July 2 asking the railroad to reconsider the closure.
“Our initial thrust was to say close one side at a time, like they do when they work on bridges,” Iannece said. “We came up and said how about something else, perhaps building at night. But they would not budge.”
Avella said many residents have called his office to complain about the lack of warning from the LIRR that use of the parkway would be restricted.
“You're impacting the health and safety of hundreds of people and you don't even notify the residents until the Friday before,” Avella said. “Some of the residents have lived there 40, 50 years and never seen MTA do something like this, even when they were building the platform. LIRR and MTA should be ashamed of themselves.
“They should hold this work off until they work out a better plan or at least do one side of the road at a time,” Avella said.
Dolan said that 14 railroad representatives fanned through the neighborhood Friday afternoon to distribute notification of the closure and pointed out that given the nature of the construction, there was no way to keep one side of the parkway open at all times.
“The way the track circuitry is laid out and the panels encased in concrete slabs that will go down in the crossing, we were unable to make that accommodation. It's impossible,” Dolan said.
“The major thing was the accomodation for emergency response,” Padavan said, noting that he was satisfied with the compromise. “It's working. The grade crossing will be safer when it's done. They're replacing the old rubber padding with concrete. That work had to be done.”
In a statement released by the railroad, the estimated cost of the work is $200,000, with funding provided by the MTA/LIRR $2.2 billion capital improvement program.
“They did guarantee that service would not be substantially interrupted coming from Port Washington,” Iannece said. “It's a very narrow area. You have the platform on one side and trees and shops on the other. It's not a big area. I understand that. It's good. It's better than what they were going to do but still not acceptable.”
Reach reporter Sophia Chang by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
