Two murals completed by local students and professional artists have spruced up an overpass on 31st Street between Ditmars Boulevard and 23rd Avenue.
Eighteen juniors and seniors from the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Long Island City designed an art, music and history-inspired mural – featuring scenes from Bryant Park’s fashion week and Broadway musicals, Astoria-born legend Tony Bennett who also founded the high school, and Rosa Parks and Jimi Hendrix on a bus together.
The opposite wall depicts Native American-inspired images along with the Statue of Liberty. A group of artists from Iowa submitted and executed the design.
“This completes the transformation of this overpass from a dark, dangerous, graffiti-covered, puddle-filled cave to a colorful, bright and safe addition to the neighborhood landscape,” said Vallone, who has been a leading anti-graffiti advocate for many years.
To access one of Astoria’s busiest subway stations and a central commercial hub, residents have to walk through a large Amtrak train overpass – once the site of graffiti-filled walls, ongoing water leaks and crumbling concrete.
During the unveiling, Vallone was joined by New York Anti-Crime Agency Executive Director Anthony Meloni, who praised the work.
“This is one of the most beautiful ways to keep a wall clean and gives the community something bright to look at, rather than a blank wall,” Meloni said.
Earlier this year, construction crews removed scaffolding that surrounded the overpass for over two years, the final reminder of an ongoing maintenance and repair project.
Vallone fought for Amtrak to correct conditions that were causing stagnant water to accumulate under the structure for a number of years, which created dangerous and unsanitary conditions for pedestrians. Amtrak and the Department of Environmental Protection installed a new drainage system around the overpass meant to contain water seepage and prevent it from running down the sidewalk and renovated the brickwork so that pieces would no longer fall off.
