Transit Cmte. Seeks Answers On Project Delays
Several stalled infrastructure projects along the Brooklyn/Queens border and ongoing efforts to address problems related to freight rail traffic in the area were hot topics at the Community Board 5 Transportation and Public Transit Committees meeting last Tuesday, Mar. 27, at the board’s Glendale office.
Vincent Arcuri, Board 5 chairperson and co-chair of the Transportation Committee, expressed frustration over the continued rescheduling of the proposed reconstruction of Wyckoff
Avenue, the Kosciuszko Bridge and the Grand Street Bridge.
Regarding the project to build a new Kosciuszko Bridge in place of the existing span, the board chairper- stated that the $650 million plan is “sitting on the governor’s desk waiting to be signed off, but nothing is happening.”
A week after the meeting, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the start of Kosciuszko Bridge project will be accelerated under the “NY Works” program. According to a press release issued on Tuesday, Apr. 3, the state DOT will use the “design build” model to “accelerate the first two phases of the first two phases of the project,” which were previously scheduled to begin in 2014 and 2017, respectively.
“Construction will be enabled to begin this fiscal year, and through efficiencies gained via acceleration, all traffic will be shifted off of the existing viaduct onto the new structure before 2017,” as noted in the revised description of the project, which will cost $460 million.
“That’s a safety and business development project,” Arcuri said at last Tuesday’s meeting, pointing out that the current span-built in 1939 and carries the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway over the Newtown Creek- features narrow lanes and steep inclines that have made it a hot spot for vehicular accidents.
Moreover, he pointed out that the high grade of the bridge also forces vehicles of all types to burn more fuel, thus adding to air pollution and expenses for businesses and commuters alike.
Land acquired by the state in commercial areas of Queens to facilitate the project also sits unused, Arcuri stated.
The state Transportation Department had been considering four different designs for the new Kosciuszko Bridge, and Arcuri believes that the “cable stay” suspension bridge option remains “the most efficient” choice. Not only would the bridge be easier to assemble since most of the parts would be pre-fabricated, but the chairperson added that it would create additional construction jobs for local residents.
As for the Wyckoff Avenue plans, the Department of Design and Construction (DDC) plans to rebuild the entire length of the roadway between Flushing and Cooper avenues, including the installation of new sewer and water mains. Several side streets south of Wyckoff Avenue in the Board 5 area also included in the plans.
But Arcuri stated that the city’s ongoing fiscal restrains have forced the DDC to delay the start of the project until the 2017 fiscal year. Though efforts have been made to have local elected officials press for the project to begin, the chair stated, no movement has taken place.
“We’ve seen the plans and it keeps getting pushed off,” added John Maier, co-chair of the Public Transit Committee.
Arcuri stated he was stumped as to “why this major cross-county” project “has disappeared or died.” He stated that the Wyckoff Avenue plan is “a major project that would enhance the community.”
Finally, Arcuri added that the city had delayed the reconstruction of the Grand Street Bridge over the English Kills; District Manager Gary Giordano pointed out that the project is now projected to start in the 2016 fiscal year. The current span is narrow, which he observed makes it difficult for trucks and buses to cross on a daily basis.
“It’s a simple bridge …. it’s just sitting in limbo,” he said of the project. “No one knows where it is. And it’s hurting business and polluting the air.”
Station renewal
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will soon award a contract for its station renewal project at M train stops in Ridgewood and Bushwick, according to Joseph Raskin, the MTA’s director of intergovernmental relations.
As previously reported, the project will bring improvements to the Fresh Pond Road, Forest Avenue and Seneca Avenue stations within Board 5’s purview as well as the Central Avenue and Knickerbocker Avenue stations, located within the confines of Brooklyn Community Board 4.
Raskin stated that updated details regarding the planned worked at the Board 5 stations would be presented at the committees’ April meeting. He noted that while none of the three stations would be closed for extended periods, riders can expect service disruptions on weekends.
During the weekend disruptions, he stated, the M train shuttle will be replaced by shuttle buses running between Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village and Myrtle Avenue -Broadway on the Bushwick/Bedford Stuyvesant border.
“Once it starts, we will have more specifics” on when the weekend work will take place, Raskin noted.
He also informed the committees that the MTA will soon issue a request for proposals to local artists who may be interested in creating artwork for installation at each of the stations in the renewal project.
Construction work at the Central Avenue and Knickerbocker Avenue stations will require the alternate closure of each stop for several months, the MTA representative added.
On a different topic, Maier asked Raskin if and when “guide-a-ride” signs will be installed at bus stops along former private lines now operated by MTA Bus Company. The signs, which are found at bus stops for New York City Transit routes, display a route map, timetable and other information.
“Those are coming,” Raskin replied, though the exact date was not known.
Other news
Progress continues on the reconstruction of the Cooper Avenue underpass’ southern retaining wall, according to Fern Weinreich of the DDC. She stated that crews recently began pouring new concrete on one section of the wall and that the project is currently “on schedule.”
Committee members urged Weinreich to have DDC and city Department of Transportation (DOT) workers look into posting new truck height clearance signs on the underpass as well as new lighting along the sidewalk on the northern side of the span.
Maier requested that the board support holding a bike forum that would bring together city DOT representatives to meet with local bicyclists and community activists regarding the expansion of the city’s bike route network into Board 5’s confines. He noted that the session would be similar to one held by Community Board 2 in Sunnyside earlier this year.
Arcuri said that the community board would support it as a board function. The date of the forum has yet to be finalized, but it was suggested that the meeting could take place in June.
Giordano informed members that the board is compiling a list of streets around the area in need of resurfacing which will be submitted to the city DOT later this year. Among the roadways suggested by panel members included:
– Myrtle Avenue between Wyckoff Avenue and Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood (Giordano suggested that the work should be done during nighttime hours);
– 70th Avenue between Otto Road and 69th Place in Glendale;
– Himrod Street between Metropolitan and Cypress avenues in Ridgewood;
– Harman Street between Forest and Cypress avenues in Ridgewood; and
– Putnam Avenue between Fairview and Seneca avenues in Ridgewood.
The DOT’s Bureau of Highways will review the final request list submitted by the board in making its determination of what streets will be resurfaced later this year. Generally, roads in the Board 5 area are resurfaced during the late summer and fall.
Traffic safety requests
Based on requests submitted by residents, committee members agreed to ask the city DOT to consider installing:
– an all-way stop sign at the corner of Cypress and Willoughby avenues in Ridgewood;
– left-turn bays within the center medians of Juniper Boulevards North and South between 71st and 80th streets in Middle Village at points where left turns are available; and
– installing bollards or a concrete barrier in front of a home along the southern Cooper Avenue service road near the underpass in Glendale.
The panels also recommended denial of a request by the city DOT to install a speed bump along Maspeth Avenue between 59th and 61st streets in Maspeth, as the roadway is regularly used by trucks traveling to and from businesses in the West Maspeth area.
The next meeting of Community Board 5’s Transportation and Public Transit committees is scheduled to take place on Tuesday night, Apr. 24, at 7:30 p.m. at Board 5’s Glendale office, located at 61-23 Myrtle Ave. For more information or to submit a traffic safety request, call 1-718-366-1834.
