Approximate June start date
After hitting a snag, New Hyde Park’s Operation Main Street, aimed at improving the village’s business district, is gaining traction. The Village of New Hyde Park sent final paperwork to the New York Department of Transportation on Sunday, June 21.
Trustee Donald Barbieri estimated a June start date, with a projected four-month construction run time. Barbieri has spearheaded the project from the start.
The project originally hit a snag in March, because of a pending agreement with Verizon and KeySpan to move utility lines. The plans include rounded corners that would extend slightly into the roadway to be added at locations yet to be determined, along with installation of medians with plantings and access to water sources to maintain the plantings.
The project was originally between Ingraham Lane and Hillside Boulevard. The idea was to set up modern traffic calming features that create a more pedestrian friendly and safer environment, while providing a downtown appeal for the shopping district.
“We had to get more information out to [the DOT] so they could contact the federal government and have this money appropriated, put in their bank account to help pay for the New Hyde Park project,” said Barbieri.
According to Barbieri, the village had to do this before the DOT could give New Hyde Park permission to bid the project.
“We got that paperwork out to them on Monday [April 22],” he stated. “They’re going through whatever procedures they go through. Different departments have to review the information and then we’ll get the OK to go out to bid on this New Hyde Park Operation Main Street project.”
Benches will also be installed on sidewalks, which would be paved with the same rustic red brickwork already in place in some sections of the road near the intersection of Jericho Turnpike and Lakeville Road.
“If you look in the streets, there are brick pavers in the center of the block,” Barbieri stated. “This would complete the pavers on the entire street. This is the area involved.”
Work on the project also includes road resurfacing, Barbieri said. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy originally secured a federal grant (about $1.6 million) for the village through a federal transportation appropriation and community block grant funds. McCarthy wrote to the chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in 2009 pushing for the project.
“This project will make Jericho Turnpike safer and more usable for both drivers and pedestrians, and will help the businesses in the area in the process,” McCarthy said. “Our safety is paramount and small businesses are the backbone of our local economy; I’m proud to be able to help bring improvements like these home to Long Island.”
