By Nathan Duke
A city project to fix a section of Douglaston’s Shore Road along Little Neck Bay that has collapsed could begin next year and cost more than $3 million, the district manager of Community Board 11 said this week.
The city Design and Construction Department will repair and resurface a 2,300-foot stretch of Shore Road between West Drive and Beverly Road as well as upgrade 1,400 feet of Shore Road between Beverly Road to 36th Avenue, said Susan Seinfeld, CB 11’s district manager.
The city-funded project, which has been two years in the making, is estimated to cost $3.1 million, she said.
“It’s obvious a lot of the problem is drainage,” Seinfeld said. “The city is developing plans to capture water so that the road doesn’t sink anymore. It’s slowly been falling apart because water has not been draining properly.”
The collapse has occurred at the intersection of Shore Road and Bay View Road and between Manor Road and Hollywood Avenue, Seinfeld said. Rain storms have often caused excessive water along the road to not drain properly, she said.
The board received updates on the project’s plans two weeks ago. Seinfeld said the upgrade is still in the design process.
The city has preliminary plans to begin the project in October 2011, but it is unclear how long it would take or when it would be completed. There are now barricades along one lane of Shore Road to prevent drivers from passing over the collapsed section of road.
“It’s a big undertaking,” said George Schmidt, chairman of the Douglas Manor Association’s Shore Road Construction Committee, of the project. “The collapse noticeably started two to three years ago. The city has been moving along at a relatively expeditious rate because it’s become dangerous.”
Trucks from the city Department of Environmental Protection tested soil at the site this week and the Design and Construction Department is in the process of obtaining permits for the project.
Tip Sempliner, a Douglaston resident who lives near the bay, said he can see the collapsed section of road from his home.
“It’s rather alarming,” said Sempliner, who is a cartoonist for TimesLedger Newspapers. “The road is drifting down into the bay.”
The Design and Construction Department could not be reached for comment.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
