By Anna Gustafson
A project designed to mitigate traffic on the Van Wyck Expressway in Kew Gardens, for which residents have been waiting for years, is one of hundreds of projects to have its funding halted because no state budget has been passed, the state Department of Transportation announced last week.
Gov. David Paterson said payouts on construction projects stopped March 31 and would not begin again until the state Legislature approves a budget. Legislators were in recess until April 7, after which they were expected to continue to wrangle over ways to address the $9 billion deficit facing New York.
“We’re very disappointed,” said Community Board 6 District Manager Frank Gulluscio. “We’ve been waiting a long time, years, for this to get done, but we understand the economic dire straits the state’s in.”
The $148 million project that Gulluscio said is expected to make “the flow of traffic a lot easier” was slated to begin this spring and end in 2012, according to the DOT. The project would have attempted to cut down the amount of traffic at what is known as the Kew Gardens interchange, a spot in Kew Gardens where the Van Wyck Expressway, Grand Central Parkway and Jackie Robinson Parkway meet, by extending a northbound merge lane between Hillside Avenue and the entrances to the Jackie Robinson and Grand Central.
City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) said she was working to ensure the money for the interchange would soon be available.
“I am in contact with our state elected officials regarding this stoppage and hope to see the funding reinstated for the interchange as soon as possible,” Koslowitz said.
The state DOT said last week that 506 projects would be affected by Paterson’s decision to cease payouts for construction projects.
“The list we’re talking about is 506 active projects that range from contracts awarded a couple weeks ago that contractors would be just getting started on to contracts awarded years ago and the projects may have been essentially completed but the contract paperwork has not been finished and everything in between,” said DOT spokeswoman Jennifer Post.
At least 12 construction projects in the city will be affected by the move, including a $59 million project to do pavement repairs on the Nassau Expressway and the $146 million Gowanus Expressway rehabilitation.
Reach reporter Anna Gustafson by e-mail at agustafson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
