Recipe For Success?
Ground Broken On Traffic Fix For Boro Mixing Bowl Nightmare

By Brian M. Rafferty

After a generation of congestion, it seems that the notorious Kew Gardens Interchange will be overhauled.

Officials broke ground Wednesday afternoon on the project, which will affect the Grand Central Parkway, the Van Wyck Expressway, Union Turnpike and Queens Boulevard.

The area affected in the first phase of development.

“Anybody that has ever driven on the highways of Queens or listened to a radio traffic report knows what a nightmare the Kew Gardens Interchange has been for motorists for more than a generation,” said Denise Richardson, the Managing Director of the General Contractors Association of New York. “This project is one of many critical infrastructure projects that are essential to the safety, mobility, economic vitality and quality of life of all New Yorkers.

“Aside from what it will do for drivers, this project will provide over 200 jobs that will enable laid off workers to come back to work and boost the area’s businesses and the city’s economy. The fact that this project has been deferred over the years due to funding constraints is yet another sign that New York must find a way to properly fund its transportation infrastructure needs. ”

At the groundbreaking, several officials were on hand to celebrate the event, including the State DOT Commissioner.

“The Kew Gardens Interchange is one of the most tangled knots of congestion in all of New York City, impacting the economy of the city and affecting the quality of life of all Queens residents,” said Acting State DOT Commissioner Stanley Gee. “Under the leadership of Gov. David Paterson, the New York State Department of Transportation has worked with elected officials and community members to develop a plan that will untangle the knots, providing a smooth, safe flow of commuters and commerce in Queens.”

The new view along Queens Boulevard.

Location

• The Kew Gardens Interchange is named for the neighborhood of Kew Gardens, and is at the confluence of the Grand Central Parkway, the Van Wyck Expressway, the Jackie Robinson Parkway, and Union Turnpike.
• More than 500,000 vehicles use parts of the intersection every day.

History

• The Kew Gardens interchange developed in the 1930s during the start of road construction in the area. The addition of highways and more homes in the 1950s and 1960s added increased traffic and congestion at the site.
• The state announced in 2003 that it intended to overhaul the site. The last few years have been spent performing preliminary work to scope the site, design the changes and await funding.

Project Highlights
The project will:

• Reconstruct a half-mile section of the Van Wyck Expressway just south of the interchange, between Union Turnpike and Hillside Avenue
• Reconstruct a quarter-mile section of Queens Boulevard over the Van Wyck Expressway.
• Construct auxiliary lanes on the Van Wyck Expressway to ease the flow of traffic in both directions at the interchange with the Grand Central Parkway.
• Replace or reconstruct six bridges, including the Queens Boulevard bridges over the Van Wyck Expressway and Main Street, as well as the Hoover Avenue bridge and the 82nd Street pedestrian bridge, both over the Van Wyck Expressway.
• The new 82nd Street pedestrian bridge will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Work will also include the reconstruction of subway entrances to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority station at Briarwood-Van Wyck Boulevard, as well as the construction of three pedestrian plazas on Queens Boulevard.
• Extensive landscaping will include the planting of trees on both the Van Wyck Expressway and Queens Boulevard.

The busy interchange serves approximately 500,000 vehicles per day.

Future Projects

• Reconstruct other parts of the interchange, including the Van Wyck Expressway north to Jewel Avenue, sections of the Grand Central and Jackie Robinson parkways and Union Turnpike, and the viaduct ramps connecting the various highways.
• Construction on the next contract in the series is anticipated to begin in 2012.

Total Cost: $148 Million

Funding: $72 Million of 2005 New York State Bond Act funds, with the remainder coming from state and federal sources.

Schedule: Construction is anticipated to be completed in the summer of 2015.

Who’s Doing the Work: The contractor is ECCO III Enterprises of Yonkers. The consulting firm assisting in the design of the project was Hardesty and Hanover, LLP.

Reach Editor Brian M. Rafferty at brafferty@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 122.