The time for the Long Island Rail Road’s (LIRR) third track expansion project for the Village of New Hyde Park has finally begun. This week, Third Track Constructors (3TC), who are the design-build contractors for the 9.8-mile project that will expand between Floral Park to Hicksville, will be temporarily closing Covert Avenue.
According to 3TC, Covert Avenue will be shutdown between 1st and 2nd Avenues from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until Saturday, Feb. 2. During the times that Covert Avenue is closed, two detours will be available to village residents and drivers passing through the area. Southbound drivers on Covert Avenue will be directed to South 6th Street while northbound drivers will be directed to South 8th Street.
Flaggers as well as Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will be on the scene to help guide traffic.
With the third track project, the Covert Avenue, South 12th Street and New Hyde Park Road grade crossings will start to be eliminated this year. The Covert Avenue sight has already seen some activity with the demolition of the taxi depot that was located at 124 Covert Ave., in December of 2018. The demolition of the taxi depot was done within one day by 3TC and its subcontractor. The razing of the Safety Storage building at 115 New Hyde Park Rd. will soon take place becoming a staging area.
“This project is being built by people who care about this area,” said Director of Community Outreach for 3TC Travis Brennan at a public information forum that was held in September of 2018. “I understand the kind of impact that this kind of project can have on a local area such as New Hyde Park.”
According to Brennan, 3TC has a contractual obligation, in particular to Covert Avenue, to return the avenue back to the village within six months. If they don’t, they face heavy monetary fines associated with their contract with the MTA and LIRR.
For more information about the third track project, concerned residents can call the 24/7 Community Hotline at 516-203-4955, email CommunityOutreach@3rdTC.com, or visit www.lirrexpansion.com. Concerned or affected residents can also visit the Community Information Center at 114 Old Country Rd. in Mineola, which is by appointment only.
