At the intersection of 33rd Avenue and 158th Street, a new 72-in. water main connects to a new 48-in. water main. A new sewer chamber and 20-in. sewer regulator also were installed.
The NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC), the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the completion of a $79.7 million infrastructure project that has rebuilt 3.5 mi. 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 project, which began in September 2017, was managed by DDC and funded largely by DEP and DOT capital dollars.
"This $80 million investment means safer streets, more reliable tap water delivery and less street flooding in Bayside, Auburndale and Flushing," said DEP Commissioner Rohit T. 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."
"DOT is proud to have contributed funding to these critical infrastructure improvements in the communities of Bayside, Auburndale and Flushing," said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "Thousands of Queens residents will benefit from improved sidewalks and pedestrian ramps as a result of this funding and we thank Mayor Adams and our sister agencies for their dedication to this vital project."
"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," said DDC Commissioner Thomas Foley. "Along with our partners at DEP and DOT, we are investing billions of dollars in long-term improvements to Queens infrastructure."
The $79.7 million infrastructure project extends more than 3.5 mi. on 33rd, 37th and 38th Avenues in Bayside, Auburndale and Flushing
"This newly completed project is an important investment in our borough's future that will improve the quality-of-life of so many of our residents," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.
"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. I commend the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Design and Construction, and the Department of Transportation for working together so effectively to address many of our significant infrastructure needs here in Queens."
"I'm thrilled to hear that this crucial project is finally completed, and I am even more excited for the positive impact it will have on my constituents in the area," said Council Member Vickie Paladino.
"These upgrades will drastically improve the quality of life for residents of Bayside, Auburndale and Flushing by supplying better drinking water and improving drainage and street conditions. This is a huge win and I want to thank the residents local to this project for their continued patience throughout. We have finally reached our goal and I hope you will all join me in celebrating the completion and thanking the city agencies who made it happen for us."
"Flooding has gotten progressively worse in northeast Queens, so we are very pleased that the City has finally arrived at the conclusion of this long-awaited infrastructure upgrade," said State Senator John C. Liu.
"Climate change demands immediate and sustained action, and this project will provide much needed improvements to our drinking water, sewer and storm drainage and street conditions. This is a great first step to providing some relief to our community, so we thank DEP, DOT and DDC for working together to get this job done."
"I welcome news that the long-awaited water and sewer infrastructure upgrade project in Northeast Queens is now complete," said Assembly Member Edward C. Braunstein. "These upgrades will serve to help relieve local flooding issues and provide more reliable water service to residents in Bayside, Auburndale and Flushing. I want to thank NYC DDC, DEP and DOT for their hard work and collaboration to see this important project through."
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 more than 5 mi. of older distribution water mains with new pipes ranging from 8 to 24 in. in diameter. More than 2 mi. of new trunk water mains also were added to the neighborhoods, which included 5,775 ft. of 72-in. mains and 8,295 ft. of 48-in. 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 mi. 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 ft. of new curbs were added the project area and 8,200 ft. of old curbs, 432,000 sq. ft. of asphalt and 82,800 sq. ft. 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.
The project was designed by DDC's in-house design team. Construction was completed by C.A.C. Industries Inc. and engineering services were provided by Entech Mirabal Engineers, PLLC.
For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep.
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 mi. of streets along 33rd, 37th and 38th avenues.
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