Friday, January 15, 2016

Would you be surprised to learn that the East Houston Reconstruction Project is further delayed?


[What lies beneath East Houston]

Anytime that you've tried to cross East Houston from Avenue A west to the Bowery these past, oh, six years, you've probably wondered, When, dear [____], will this construction ever end?

To answer that very broadly — sometime this year. Probably!

Various reps for the never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project appeared before CB3's Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee on Tuesday night. BoweryBoogie was there and learned that — ding! ding! — there will likely be another delay in completing the project.

Per BoweryBoogie:

Not only is the project delayed three years, but the September 2016 completion date previously provided was stretched again by another month. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s easily the third revised end date in recent memory. Blame more of the “utility interference” that contractors encounter each time the roadway is torn asunder (i.e. encountering issues with different agency wiring that needs attention).





Oh, and here are some photos of the Greenstreets pedestrian plaza outside Punjabi Deli from the fall... the work was finished around that time, but the final planting inside of the planters and bench installation likely won't happen now until the fall...





As, as previously posted, here's how the new Greenstreets and street configurations at Avenue A and Houston will look ...



And here are some general highlights from the city's latest East Houston Street Reconstruction Project newsletter (PDF!):
Proposed Work Schedule Winter 2016
1.Continue excavating and install 36” trunk water main at the Bowery and East Houston Street
2.Continue excavating and install trunk water main on East Houston Street between 2nd Avenue and the Bowery
3.Continue installing new catch basin and chute connection at 2nd Avenue
4.Begin excavating and install new center median planters

The DDC is reconstructing/replacing combined sewers, trunk main, water mains, catch basins, fire hydrants, sidewalks, etc., etc., along East Houston Street, from the Bowery to the FDR Drive. This work phase started in June 2010, when the Lakers beat the Celtics to win their 16th NBA Championship and "Jonah Hex" was playing in theaters.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Coming soon to East Houston: Construction, hell, rodent control stations

Long-threatened East Houston reconstruction starting this month

East Houston Street construction will be a living hell for an extra year

How you can help Punjabi Grocery & Deli stay in business

Never-ending construction continues to hurt Punjabi Grocery & Deli

Taxi Relief Stand arrives on Avenue A; Punjabi Grocery & Deli relieved

13 comments:

  1. Why are benches to be placed here? Have you ever seen anyone sitting on the benches in the middle of Houston St. a few blocks west? Didn't think so. Everyone hail and genuflect to the socialist planners at Havana on the Hudson, who like to spend $tax$ on useless projects.

    Bill

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  2. I wouldn't mind sitting on the bench to eat food from Punjabi Grocery & Deli.

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  3. There were 3 original bids on these projects.
    After making precise measurements and calculations, the contractor from Florida bid $30 million.
    The contractor from New Jersey took even more time to calculate his bid at $20 million.
    The NYC contractor, without moving a muscle, bid $200 million.
    The shocked city project manager asked him how in the world he came up with such an outrageous figure.
    "Simple, $175 million for me, $5 million for you.....and we get the guy from Jersey to do the work."

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  4. Amanda Burden-ChristJanuary 15, 2016 at 11:24 AM

    My precious Burpee Seeds won't thrive until spring! Plus, we're still considering putting a Shake Shack - with pedestrian seating! - in that space.

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  5. Once the city council decriminalizes public drinking, urinating, smoking weed etc our homeless population will enjoy these benches.

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  6. Look at that iron bar fence around the entire planting. Ugly as heck.

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  7. "Jonah Hex"- Heh. Think the last movie I saw in a theater was "Premium Rush".

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  8. What a huge waste of money for a glorified traffic island, and at the expense of the local businesses on this street.

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  9. its not unusual to open up a wall or floor or street and find conditions aren't as expected and require extra services. I'm curious if they are finding old vaults and culverts, or live power transmission lines in unpredicted places.

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  10. If the benches bring more business to Punjabi then that it the only good outcome and something they deserve for having to put up with this nonsense.

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  11. Better for Punjabi and the rest of us for the criminal entity at HotH never to have done this project. Benefiting one small biz at the expense of the $taxpayer$ is called cronyism.

    Bill, opponent of cronyism for banks, small businesses, etc.

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  12. Probably the stupidest use of money ever here. I've lived in the area for 5 years and the entire time Houston street is a mess, traffic and drilling late at night. All for some stupid trees and planters and benches?

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  13. I've lived in the area for 7 years and it's been nothing but construction hell - weeks go by without any progress. The planters? LOL. The planters in the middle are full of WEEDS - disgusting gross WEEDS. What a joke of taxpayer money. Why not plant wild Roses or something - why WEEDS. And why benches in the middle of the Street? Are people tired half way across and they have to sit? What a damn waste of money.

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