National Infrastructure Week: City Begins $62.5 Million Sewer and Water Main Upgrade for Flushing and Bayside | NYC DDC

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National Infrastructure Week: City Begins $62.5 Million Sewer and Water Main Upgrade for Flushing and Bayside

New Water Mains Will Help to Ensure a Reliable Supply of High Quality Drinking Water
New Catch Basins and Storm Sewers Will Help to Mitigate Flooding

May 15, 2018

Contact:
Ian Michaels
718-391-1589

Queens, NY – New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Vincent Sapienza and Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Acting Commissioner Ana Barrio today announced that workers recently broke ground on a $62.5 million infrastructure upgrade in Flushing and Bayside, Queens. As part of the work, more than seven miles of new water mains will be installed primarily along 33rd, 37th and 38th Avenues, as well as Utopia Parkway. The upgrades also include new storm and sanitary sewers, as well as fire hydrants and catch basins. DEP is funding the project while DDC will manage the construction, which is expected to be completed in 2021. A map of the project area is here.

“This project will upgrade more than seven miles of water mains throughout Flushing and Bayside, and highlights DEP’s continued commitment to making significant infrastructure investments in Queens,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “New storm sewers and catch basins will increase the system’s drainage capacity and help to reduce flooding. I thank our partners at DDC for working with us as we improve the quality of life for the residents of these neighborhoods.”

“This project will improve the neighborhood’s water and sewer service and represents a major investment in infrastructure in Bayside and Flushing,” said DDC Acting Commissioner Ana Barrio. “The partnership between DDC and DEP continues to be one of the strongest in City government, and we’ll continue to work together to improve and protect the City’s infrastructure.”

“This work will greatly improve the water distribution system in Flushing and Bayside, as well as help mitigate some of the flooding issues that have persisted in these communities. I thank DEP and DDC for undertaking this much needed project and look forward to its completion,” said State Senator Tony Avella.

As part of the project, more than 4.3 miles of new ductile iron water mains will be built to replace the older cast iron pipes. New water mains will be installed along 33rd Avenue from 156th Street to Utopia Parkway, down Utopia to 37th Avenue, across 37th to Francis Lewis Boulevard, and continuing along 38th Avenue until 216th Street. Construction will also impact small portions of 158th Street, Clearview Expressway Service Road West, and 216th Street. Also constructed will be over 2.5 miles of trunk mains, which serve as a conduit between the large water tunnels and the local distribution mains. This will improve water distribution and provide a reliable supply of high quality drinking water for the area. The 80 new fire hydrants will ensure access to the water supply for firefighters.

While the roadway is open to upgrade the water mains, approximately 4,300 linear feet of sanitary sewers will be installed in the area. Additionally, 350 linear feet of new storm sewers and 100 catch basins will be constructed to help to increase drainage capacity and help to alleviate flooding.

To manage the needs of residents and businesses during construction, DDC has assigned a full-time Community Construction Liaison (CCL) to this project. CCL Tanya Pazmino will keep the neighborhood apprised of construction progress, and will coordinate street closures or special requests. She is directly accessible to the public and can be reached at 347-235-0412 or by email at QED991ccl@gmail.com.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor de Blasio’s lenses of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, new or upgraded roadways, sewers, water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $15 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative, and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to city projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.

About the New York City Department of Environmental Protection
DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high quality drinking water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8.5 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 21 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 in the upstate watershed. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $20.7 billion in investments over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.