Harrison Ave. garage structure complete

Tom McCarthy
The MTA said that the Harrison Avenue parking garage is expected to be complete by Spring 2020. (Photo courtesy of the MTA)

The concrete structure of the Harrison Avenue parking garage in Mineola is finished and electrical and other work is set to begin this month, the MTA said in a news release Thursday.

The 551-space garage is expected to be completed by next summer, the MTA said.

“This is another example of the MTA’s commitment to deliver the Long Island Expansion Project on time,” MTA spokeswoman Meredith Daniels said in an email. “The Harrison Ave. garage is on track to be opened to use in 2020.”

Daniels said the project is built using a “modular” construction method, using precast concrete which she said eliminates the need to build forms and cast concrete on site. Sections of the structure are delivered to the worksite, assembled and connected, Daniels said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Agency said that during November crews will begin mechanical, electrical and plumbing work in the garage along with the installation of the steel framing for the elevators inside the garage. Glass installation and glazing for the project is also set to begin, the agency said.

The garage being constructed at the Mineola station west of Mineola Boulevard between Harrison Avenue and First Street replaces a surface-level parking area. The new garage will represent a net increase of 446 parking spaces serving the Mineola station, Daniels said.

Crews working on the parking garage will continue to work Monday through Saturday, from approximately 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m with no anticipated night work, the MTA said. Temporary traffic control will remain in place at the worksite on Harrison Avenue to minimize interruptions.

The MTA said that a “rigorous” testing program will be conducted on the garage in the spring and summer of 2020 and a Certificate of Occupancy is expected to be granted soon afterward.

The parking garage is one of two to be built in conjunction with the Long Island Rail Road’s Expansion Project.

Work is planned to erect another parking garage on Second Street between Willis Avenue and Main Street. Work on that garage is to begin in the first quarter of 2021, according to the MTA.

The project will be built using the same “modular” method of the Harrison Avenue garage, Daniels said

“As part of the LIRR Expansion Project from Floral Park to Hicksville, new parking facilities will be constructed throughout the project corridor. Additional parking in Mineola was identified as a community priority by feedback received as part of a comprehensive environmental review and public input process for the LIRR Expansion Project in 2017,” according to an MTA website.

The LIRR Expansion Project will add a third track on the Main Line from Floral Park to Hicksville and is being carried out by 3rd Track Constructors. The project began in January 2018 and is to be completed by late 2022. Its development areas include Carle Place, Floral Park, Garden City, Garden City Park, Hicksville, Mineola, New Cassel, New Hyde Park and Westbury.

In a quarterly “community scorecard” released by the third track developers documenting favorability scores from residents in project development areas, Mineola placed sixth out of nine communities surveyed with a 74.38 percent approval rating.

Preparatory work required for the elimination of a grade crossing at Willis Avenue, which where two at-grade crossings will be eliminated, has begun as well, the MTA said.

Construction teams from 3rd Track Constructors, National Grid, PSEG Long Island, Verizon, Altice and Light Tower (or their respective contractors) will relocate both above and below ground utilities throughout the month, the MTA said. As a consequence, the MTA said traffic along Willis Avenue may be limited to a single lane with the construction team providing cones, flagmen and new signs to minimize disruption to the community.

Major work for the Willis Avenue grade crossing elimination is expected to begin in May, the MTA said.

“We have maintained a transparent relationship with the Village of Mineola, and it is with their cooperation that we are able to advance this work in such a timely manner,” Daniels said.

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