QUESTION
Council Member Won Requests Update on Long Island City Road Repair
2:11:41
·
3 min
Council Member Julie Won inquires about the delayed Long Island City Hunters Point Area Wide Reconstruction project, specifically road repair on Jackson Avenue originally discussed in 2016. Despite previous discussions and funding, the construction has yet to begin, prompting Won to seek an update and express community frustration. The response indicates delays due to conflicts with other projects, a subset focusing on pedestrian improvements, and a potential spring 2025 start for part of the project.
Speaker 2
2:11:41
I have one project ID, hwq788, h w q 788.
2:11:51
This was heard in my community board in 2006 18 May 3rd Transportation Committee for the Law Island City Hunters Point Area Wide Reconstruction, there was supposed to be road repair construction on Jackson Avenue.
2:12:06
It's construction still has not started.
2:12:08
Can you give me a status of what is happening?
2:12:10
And why it has not started because constituents are extremely frustrated.
Speaker 13
2:12:17
Yeah.
2:12:18
Yes, Kjell's member.
2:12:19
That project was originally, that project came about when Amazon when the Amazon headquarter conversations were starting, there were some conflicts with BQX as well.
2:12:32
Both of those let's call them issues have been sort of resolved or at least put aside for a second.
2:12:40
So I I do understand the frustration.
2:12:43
It is an area that we wanna invest in.
2:12:45
There's a lot of things going on in Long Island City that require either street reconstruction, street redesigns.
2:12:52
So I don't have a full update on the project just yet, but we do have funding for a lot of that work that needs to be done.
Speaker 2
2:13:01
When are you gonna have an update?
2:13:03
Because we've been requesting this status update for the last 2 years since I've been in office.
2:13:09
And this is from 2016.
Speaker 13
2:13:11
Yes.
2:13:11
I don't have an update for you.
2:13:13
One second.
2:13:20
Okay.
2:13:21
So it's not the full project, but there's a subset of that project in Squares.
2:13:26
There are some pedestrian improvements.
2:13:28
That are in preliminary design, and we expect the contract to be registered in the spring of next year, spring of 2025.
2:13:37
It's about a $17,000,000 project around Court Square.
Speaker 2
2:13:40
Okay.
2:13:41
But can you do at least the base of repairs?
2:13:44
Because we can't wait years years years.
2:13:46
Now it's gonna be like a decade before the repairs were even made.
2:13:49
The project's supposed to include traffic calming such as speed bumps, raced crossing, slow zones, sidewalk extensions, in addition to the total reconstruction of the street standing from 5th Street to 44th Drive to Jackson And Borden Avenue, but the basic repairs have to be made.
2:14:09
You you're making people waiting 5 years for basic repairs now.
Speaker 13
2:14:12
Understood.
2:14:14
Let me talk to the team.
2:14:15
Maybe there are some in like, interim repairs that we can do.
2:14:19
We don't usually go and repave streets, for example, that require reconstruction because the asphalt does not meant will not withstand sort of the underneath or underlaying issues.
2:14:29
But let me see if there are things that we can do in the interim while the capital project was forward.
2:14:34
You're right.
2:14:35
That it it will take years for the capital project to move forward.
Speaker 2
2:14:38
What was the best point of contact for us to follow-up on your team with?
Speaker 13
2:14:43
We you could follow through my office, and then I'll get the right folks involved.
2:14:46
It's it'll be a combination of the traffic planning team and the capital construction team.
Speaker 2
2:14:52
Okay.