By Rebecca henely
Rainy days in Maspeth should be a little less wet — at least along Maurice and 54th avenues.
In June, the state Departments of Environmental Protection and of Design and Construction finished work on a $20 million project to rehabilitate the sewer system along 54th Avenue between Maurice Avenue and 58th Street and Maurice Avenue between 54th and 56th avenues.
The rehabilitations included replacing 2,692 feet of combined sewers, 3,392 feet of distribution water mains and 35 catch basins, as well as adding new sidewalks and curbs and repaving the streets, said the DEP.
“With the completion of the reconstruction in Maspeth, there is immediate benefit to the area,” Angel Roman of the DEP said in an e-mail. “There will be a reduction in street flooding, ponding and sewer backups and an improvement in street conditions.”
Roman said the sewer was expanded so that Maurice Avenue’s sewer and 54th Avenue’s sewer could have a direct connection. Before the work, the two sewers ran parallel and connected at 56th Street.
This project has been eight years in the making. Roman said design of the project began in October 2002 and ended in September 2006. Construction began in August 2008 before ending last month.
He said the DEP funded the project through its capital budget.
“Upgrading water distribution and sewer infrastructure is a central part of the DEP’s upcoming capital plan,” Roman said.
Many upgrades for water and sewer infrastructure for Queens are planned in the future. Calumnus Avenue between 69th and 74th streets and 69th Street between Calamus and Queens boulevards are due for an upgrade in 2013, Roman said.
He added the DEP has budgeted $330 million for new sewers, $200 million for new water mains and $800 million for wastewater treatment plant and sewer overflow facilities between fiscal years 2010 through 2014.
In a press release, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) praised completed Maurice and 54th avenues project.
“Investments in our infrastructure make our community safer, reducing sewage backups and providing our residents with a quality water distribution system they deserve,” he said.
Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at rhenely@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
