With Village of New Hyde Park trustees ready to seek bids on the Operation Mainstreet roadway project, the state Department of Transportation recently introduced several new requirements that needed to be met before allowing the village to move ahead with the work.
The village board held an emergency meeting on April 21 to revise the wording of a resolution putting federal funds for the project under state control, according to New Hyde Park Mayor Robert Lofaro.
“The frustration continues,” Lofaro said.
Village Trustee Donald Barbieri had reported the village received approval of its plans from the DOT for the final phase of Operation Mainstreet two weeks ago. The project is aimed at upgrading the village’s Jericho Turnpike business district.
The New Hyde Park project is being funded through a federal transportation appropriation of $1.425 million secured by U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy under the community block grant program.
The DOT has also required the village board to update an environmental review of the anticipated impact from the project that was done three years ago. Barbieri said once the environmental impact statement is updated, the project can proceed.
“There in the process of doing that right now,” Barbieri said of updating the environmental impact statement. “As soon as we get over these last few hurdles, we’ll get there.”
Lofaro said nothing has changed with the anticipated environmental impact and the village board must issue a declaration that the project will have no negative environmental effects on the area.
“Our project probably has a positive impact on the environment,” Lofaro said.
The final phase of Operation Mainstreet plans, designed by Saratoga Associates, include bulb-outs – rounded corners that would extend slightly into the roadway – to be added at locations yet to be determined, along with installation of solid medians with plantings and access to water sources to maintain the plantings.
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.
Work on the project, including the road resurfacing, is expected to take four months to complete, Barbieri said.
Installation of count-down traffic lights by the DOT to make Jericho safer to cross, will preceded the work the village will commission.
The village will coordinate its work with repaving of Jericho to be done by the DOT in June. The DOT contractor, Flushing-based Tully Construction is currently working on repaving Jericho between Herricks Road and Glen Cove Road in the initial phase of the DOT’s project.
The repaving of Jericho in Mineola is part of a $21.1 million DOT project aimed at improving the roadway and increasing pedestrian and motorist safety.
The complete six-mile repaving project also includes improvements at every major intersection along Jericho Turnpike between 225th Street in Bellerose Village and Herricks Road.
The improvements will include the addition of turning lanes, new signals and new pavement markings.
