At the intersection of 33rd Avenue and 158th Street, a new 72-inch water main connects to a new 48-inch water main. A new sewer chamber and 20-inch sewer regulator were also installed.
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Manholes + Get AlertsThe New York City Department of Design and Construction, the Department of Environmental Protection and the New York City Department of Transportation recently announced the completion of a $79.7 million infrastructure project that has rebuilt 3.5 miles of Queens streets and brought more reliable drinking water service plus improved drainage and street conditions to the neighborhoods of Bayside, Auburndale and Flushing.
The DDC manages the project while funding comes largely from DEP and DOT capital donors. The project began in September 2017.
“This $80 million investment means safer streets, more reliable tap water delivery and less street flooding in Bayside, Auburndale and Flushing,” says DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala. “DEP has the largest capital budget in our history and we are working closely with our partners at DDC and DOT to ensure similar upgrades are brought to communities across all five boroughs.”
Along with the DEP and DOT, the DDC is investing billions of dollars in long-term improvements to Queens infrastructure, according to DDC Commissioner Thomas Foley. “This project, which was designed and executed by DDC’s professional Infrastructure team, extends across a large part of the borough and has improved water service reliability and street conditions for tens of thousands of Queens residents.”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. says the project will improve the quality of life of many residents. “The project underscores the city’s strong commitment to improving street safety, increasing the reliability of tap water delivery and reducing street flooding in Bayside, Auburndale and Flushing.”
DDC Commissioner Thomas Foley (center), the DDC project team, consultants and contractors celebrate the completion of the $79.7 million project that rebuilt 3.5 miles of streets.
Streets, curbs, sidewalks and ADA pedestrian ramps were rebuilt throughout the project area.
The project, stretching from 156th Street on the west end to 216th Street at the east, replaced over 5 miles of older distribution water mains with new pipes ranging from 8 inches to 24 inches in diameter. More than two miles of new trunk water mains were also added to the neighborhoods, which included 5,775 feet of 72-inch mains and 8,295 feet of 48-inch mains. Fire protection was enhanced with the replacement of 89 old fire hydrants and installation of 17 new fire hydrants.
In addition to water mains, nearly 2 miles of storm, sanitary and combined sewers were replaced and 23 new catch basins were added in the project area to improve stormwater drainage.
As part of the final street restoration, 19,210 feet of new curbs were added to the project area and 8,200 feet of old curbs, 432,000 square feet of asphalt and 82,800 square feet of concrete sidewalks were replaced.
To span the Clearview Expressway, the project used micro-tunneling techniques to build three small new tunnels for water, sewer and private utilities under the highway from east to west at 38th Avenue.
DDC’s in-house design team designed the project. C.A.C. Industries, Inc. completed construction, and Entech Mirabal Engineers, PLLC, provided engineering services.
