By Matthew Monks
Expect parking disruptions on 38th Street between 20th Avenue and Berrian Boulevard when Con Ed begins digging a 6-foot trench in June for a 20-inch gas main, said Michael Meehan, who is with Con Edison's construction management. The project is slated for completion by September, but Con Edison wants to do it in two months, not three.”What we hope to do is make this faster,” Meehan said. The construction route is as follows: It will start at 20th Avenue and 38th Street and extend north two blocks on 38th Street. It will head southwest one block to Steinway Street, where it will continue north into the SCS Power Generation Plant at the end of the street. Con Ed will put the project out to bid over the next six weeks. Call the power company at 718-275-3817 for more information. Following Meehan's presentation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority gave an update on the repainting of the 2.2-mile long elevated tracks that stretch from Queens Plaza to Ditmars Boulevard. The DOT began repainting that part of the N line from copper to green two years ago and is halfway done.”This is a more traditional color for elevated structures,” said Joe Raskin of the MTA. The MTA, which launched this year's painting season on March 2, has two stretches of the tracks to complete: from 30th Avenue to Ditmars Boulevard and from 30th Road to 39th Avenue. If the weather is good, the MTA expects to finish by the end of the painting season in December, Raskin said.Reach reporter Matthew Monks by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
