By Gina Martinez
City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) is calling out the Department of Environmental Protection for lack of communication, but the DEP said it has been in contact.
The DEP announced that it will begin emergency sewer repairs to fix a sinkhole that opened in May on Main Street and 41st Avenue. DEP began its work July 26 and said repairs should take two weeks to complete. DEP said construction will now take place from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m, after originally being scheduled from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The agency said the work will completely reroute all southbound bus and vehicle traffic to Kissena Boulevard.
Koo said last week his office was not notified of the repairs and the “Summer of Hell” will now continue.
“My office received zero notification on the timing of these repairs, which have added significant delays to one of the busiest transit hubs in the city,” he said. “Today, I told the DEP that such lack of communication is unacceptable, and the commissioner has since apologized and assured my office that traffic agents will be deployed to ease congestion. However, apologies do little to ease the pain of the thousands of bus riders who must now endure the ‘Summer of Hell’ on the buses as well as the subways. While I agree that emergency repairs must be conducted with all urgency, communication with local governing bodies is just as essential in order to maintain order within the community.”
A DEP spokesman said Thursday representatives have been in repeated contact with Koo’s office and the local community board about the emergency construction.
“After hearing the concerns of elected officials and local small businesses, and to minimize traffic disruptions, repair work at this location was moved to nights, from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m,” DEP said in a statement. “DEP has also been in contact with other city agencies as well, including DOT, since all permitting for DEP emergency construction goes through DOT. The duration of the repairs was impacted by the presence of underground assets belonging to other utilities and we coordinated our repairs with those said utilities as appropriate.”
Koo said that in the meantime southbound vehicle traffic will be restricted to buses and deliveries during the Main Street reconstruction and sidewalk widening. Koo said that despite the existing restrictions, many drivers still continue to drive south on Main Street, adding to the congestion.
“I strongly encourage all drivers to remain patient and avoid driving south on Main Street during this period,” he said.
DEP said the community can expect dust, noise and heavy equipment and machinery during construction. It also advised that parking may be temporarily eliminated to facilitate work operations, as well as detours and lane closure, all of which will be posted in advance. DEP also said access to driveways and loading docks will be temporarily restricted during the work day, but it will coordinate any restrictions with the property owner in advance.
Construction is expected to be completed by Aug. 11, DEP said.
Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmart
