City Announces Area Sewer Upgrades
The city Departments of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Design and Construction (DDC) announced the completion of a reconstruction project to help alleviate localized roadway flooding while also improving the water distribution system in Forest Hills.
The $24 million infrastructure upgrade, funded by DEP and managed by DDC, included installation of approximately one mile of new sewer lines and half a mile of water mains.
“Over the next decade we will invest more than half a billion dollars to make improvements to sewer infrastructure in Queens,” said DEP Commissioner Carter Strickland. “The more than 200 projects we have in the works will help better manage stormwater throughout Queens and significantly reduce combined sewer overflow, sewer backups, and street flooding.”
“These new roadways, catch basins, and sewers will reduce flooding, improve water delivery, and yield a more attractive streetscape for the residents of Forest Hills,” said Eric MacFarlane, Deputy Commissioner for Infrastructure at the Department of Design and Construction.
As part of the project, the city installed approximately 1,700 feet of sanitary sewer lines, more than 4,000 feet of storm sewer lines, 55 catch basins, and 49 manholes. The increased sewer capacity will help reduce roadway flooding and sewer backups in the surrounding area.
New storm sewer lines were installed on:
– 110th Street between 62nd Drive and 64th Road;
– 62nd Drive between 112th Street and 108th Street;
– 112th Street between Horace Harding Expressway and 63rd Avenue;
– 108th Street between 62nd Road and 62nd Drive;
– Colonial Avenue between Horace Harding Expressway and 62nd Drive;
– 62nd Drive between 112th Street and 108th Street; and
– 110th Street between 62nd Drive and 63rd Avenue.
In addition, the project included the replacement of a 2,400 foot section of a water distribution main. The new water main will improve reliablyman bility by providing a critical redundancy that will minimize service disruption to consumers during any future water main work and service shutdowns. As a result, residents will be less likely to experience low water pressure when other water mains in the vicinity are being repaired or upgraded. The reconstruction also included the installation of 2,403 linear feet of concrete curb, 27,924 square feet of concrete sidewalk, 1,225 feet of steel faced curb, 20,560 square yards of asphalt roadway, six hydrants, 90 trees, a bus stop, and a pedestrian bridge for the New York City Housing Authority.
This capital infrastructure upgrade is one of 217 similar projects in Queens that are either under construction now or are in the planning and design phase. Investing in water distribution and sewer infrastructure is a central part of DEP’s upcoming capital plan. In Queens, the DEP Executive Budget includes $921 million of capital investments from Fiscal Year 2012-21 including $612 million for sewers, of which $205 million will fund high-level storm sewers to keep stormwater out of the combined sewer system, helping prevent combined sewer overflows and sewer backups.
