A massive infrastructure project has brought wider sidewalks, smoother roads and other improvements to downtown Flushing, city officials announced.
In its first reconstruction project in over 20 years, Main Street’s sidewalks have been widened up to nine feet in areas from 38th to 41st avenues. The extra space is meant to relieve crowding by making pedestrian movement easier.
The $7.8 infrastructure project also upgraded the area’s water mains, sewers, catch basins and fire hydrants and improved street lighting and traffic signals. It also brought high-strength concrete reinforced bus pads and a new northbound Select Bus Service lane between 40th Road and Roosevelt Avenue to the area.
Main Street has been “reconstructed and resurfaced from curb-to-curb,” according to the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT). The project was managed by DOT and the Department of Design and Construction.
“These newly widened sidewalks here on Main Street will support more efficient movement of people on this key commercial corridor,” DOT Queens Borough Commissioner Nicole Garcia said. “This safety project also included major infrastructure work that rehabilitated this street through a complete reconstruction, something that hasn’t been done in 20 years.”
City officials and Councilman Peter Koo gathered on-site to celebrate the newly completed project on Nov. 9.
“For far too long, Flushing’s sidewalks were too small to accommodate the thousands of people who commute here via bus, train and car,” Koo said. “Now with as much as 9 feet of new sidewalk space in some places, walking down Main Street is a new and improved experience. I was proud to contribute over $300,000 in funding toward this effort, and I want to thank the DOT and DDC for working closely with my office over the last several years to make sure this project best serves the people who live, work and visit Flushing for years to come.”
The project in the busy corridor was first announced in July 2016. City officials enacted traffic pattern changes in the area to accommodate construction.
Main Street is one of the busiest pedestrian corridors throughout the city — bested only by Times Square.
