Feb. 1, 2016 By Christian Murray
The Long Island City/Hunters Point area is about to get a $40 million infrastructure and roadway upgrade through funding allocated by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Most of the roadways in the Hunters Point area have not been reconstructed since the beginning of the 20th Century, according to Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. With Long Island City’s explosion of residential and commercial growth, plus the City’s emphasis on traffic safety stemming from Vision Zero, this area was identified as due for a makeover.
“As buildings are going up, obviously the infrastructure is straining,” Trottenberg said Monday at the project announcement.
The reconstruction will focus on an area bound by 44th Drive to the north, Borden Avenue to the south, 5th Street to the west and roughly Jackson Avenue to the east.
The project will involve repairing roads, curbs and sidewalks; adding greenery and public space; upgrading the storm water drainage and sewer systems; adding traffic calming features such as medians; and ensuring the streets are safer for motorists, 
pedestrians and cyclists.
“The improvements we are announcing today will help keep Long Island City safe, update its aging infrastructure and maintain its status as one of New York City’s jewels,” Trottenberg said.
Last year, New York City reported the lowest number of traffic fatalities on record and much of this was attributed to Vision Zero, according to Trottenberg.
The DOT would not say what Hunters Point streets it will work on first but did say that the intersections of Vernon Boulevard/Jackson Avenue, 23rd Street/Jackson Avenue, 21st Street/Jackson Ave, 44th Drive/Vernon Boulevard were priorities.
The project will be coordinated by the DOT, Department of Design and Construction and Department of Environmental Protection.
Last month, the Mayor announced that he would boost Vision Zero funding by $115 million in 2016 for traffic safety improvements throughout the city, including nearly $30 million for Long Island City’s improvements – the most of any neighborhood.
The DOT Capital Budget also had $8.8 million leftover that will go towards this project, for a total of nearly $40 million.
The DOT anticipates that the Hunters Point preliminary design will be completed by the summer. The agency has not yet defined when construction will start and how long it would take to complete.
The design process began in December when Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, the DOT and the DDC held a community workshop in Long Island City to discuss what such a project would involve and to solicit feedback.
