Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release #11-59
Contact: Seth Solomonow or Nicole Garcia (212) 839-4850
NYC DOT and Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer Collaborate for Restoration of Woodside, Queens, Roadway
Resurfacing addresses seven-block area needing more than pothole repair
New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer today announced that DOT is completing a resurfacing of a critical, seven-block stretch of Roosevelt Avenue between 51st and 58th streets in Woodside designed to restore a seven-block section of a key Queens corridor in need of improvement. Council Member Van Bramer has worked in conjunction with DOT to expedite repairs of the 1.4 lane miles of this well-used corridor. In recent months, Van Bramer and DOT have collaborated on several transportation issues to enhance safety and improve quality of life, including the installation of speed humps on Maurice Avenue and changing parking regulations on Queens Boulevard . The resurfacing operation on Roosevelt, which is composed of milling and paving phases, provides extensive repairs to the roadway’s surface severely damaged by record snowfalls, fluctuating temperatures and which simple pothole repairs are not enough. A DOT crew began milling overnight the previous week, and concluded with the paving of fresh asphalt.
“Our streets are the gateways to our neighborhoods and they need to be in a state of good repair to keep pace with the demands placed on them,” said Commissioner Sadik-Khan. “By taking aggressive steps to resurface key commercial and commuter corridors, we’re creating smoother, safer streets for everyone’s benefit, especially local businesses and the neighborhoods they serve.”
“The condition of the street had become a major quality of life concern for the community. I was happy to work with DOT to make sure that repairs were completed quickly to restore the street. Drivers along this stretch of Roosevelt will now have a smoother, safer ride,” said Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer.
This resurfacing project follows on the heels of a new roadway-repair milestone. Last month, DOT announced it has filled more than 400,000 potholes since July 1, 2010, a record for potholes repaired in a single fiscal year. In Queens alone, DOT filled more than 97,300 potholes. With regard to resurfacing, this fiscal year, DOT once again will resurface 1,000 lanes miles citywide. The number of streets in a state of good repair has increased over the last four years, and the coming year’s paving target allows DOT to building on the progress it has made in all five boroughs.
For a snapshot of DOT’s roadway repair and maintenance efforts, visit “The Daily Pothole,” a blog that tracks the agency's pothole-filling efforts and more recently, highlights milling and paving projects citywide. In addition to statistics and maps charting pothole-filling efforts, the site also features photos of crews making repairs. It also allows the public to report potholes easily. The site can be viewed through DOT's home page at nyc.gov/dot or at thedailypothole.tumblr.com.
The City uses many resources to identify potholes, including through 311 and the SCOUT (Street Conditions Observation Unit) program. Residents are encouraged to call 311 to report potholes.
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