By Gina Martinez
Construction on Flushing’s busiest district has been completed after a year of extensive work.
The Department of Transportation, Department of Design and Construction and City Councilman Peter Koo (D- Flushing) gathered in downtown Flushing Nov. 9 to unveil the completion of a $7.8 million sidewalk widening project along Main Street. In addition to the sidewalk widening, new street amenities were introduced that the DOT said will improve traffic flow and increase pedestrian safety in the second busiest transit hub in the city behind Times Square.
The upgrades, Main Street’s first reconstruction in over 20 years. include sidewalks widened by up to nine feet in some areas from 38th Avenue to 41st Avenue. According to DOT Queens Commissioner Nina Garcia, the project also included upgraded water mains and sewers, new catch basins and fire hydrants, improved high-efficiency street lighting and traffic signals, new high-strength concrete reinforced bus pads and a new northbound SBS bus lane between 40th Road and Roosevelt Ave.
Garcia said the newly widened sidewalks on Main Street will support more efficient movement of people on this key commercial corridor.
Councilman Koo, who contributed over $300,000 in funding toward the project, thanked DOT and DDC for helping complete the project. He said the renovation will serve the people who live, work and visit Flushing for years to come
“Today marks the completion of one of the biggest infrastructure improvements to Flushing’s transportation hub in the last 20 years,” he said. “For far too long, Flushing’s sidewalks were too small to accommodate the thousands of people who commute here via bus, train and car. Now with as much as nine feet of new sidewalk space in some places, walking down Main Street is a new and improved experience.
Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) said the reconstruction of Main Street will increase safety and street conditions in one of the city’s busiest corridors.
“The new and wider sidewalks will also provide more space for pedestrians and ease crowding,” she said. “As the population of Flushing continues to grow, it is critical that we maintain and invest in the area’s infrastructure.”
Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmart
