So today they closed the third avenue exit.
What was usually 107 cars an hour (as per DOT study) was a mere TOTAL of 25 cars for the ENTIRE DAY!
There was no "major back up all the way past 20th avenue or the Throgs Neck Bridge" as predicted by Doom and Gloom master community board 7 head.
As a matter of fact, traffic was lighter than normal for a Monday.
I have a feeling that this will continue to be the case.
As for the residents of 5th avenue who have been fighting since 1997, when DOT ILLEGALLY extended a concrete divider , in effect limiting cars from the option of turning onto 6th avenue (an option that was available from 1939 to 1997). I say to you ENJOY this reprieve and keep up the pressure. Something needs to be done and you will get it done.
Enjoy for now and Good Luck in your quest for Quality of Life and Safety.
Alfredo
Malba Gardens Civic Dedicated to the Safety and Preservation of our Community.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Finally! 3rd Avenue exit closing for now
Maybe now they will take into account the 110 cars an hour that travel on 5th avenue since 1997....
Either way lets hope they come up with something.
At least we got them to agree to a 7-8 foot sound divider wall instead of the standard 4 foot wall.
Whitestone Expy. Exit Closing For 2 Years
By Joe Marvilli
Drivers who use the Whitestone Expressway should prepare to make an adjustment to their driving pattern in the New Year.The Whitestone Expressway’s 3rd Avenue exit will be closed to all traffic starting on Jan. 7 for approximately two years. The closure is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges and Tunnels’ Capital Improvement Project.
The 42-month, $109 million reconstruction will transform the 1,010-foot-long Queens approach to the bridge, rebuilding the roadway and adding new emergency breakdown shoulders. The southbound 14th Avenue exit ramp will be repaved as well as gaining a deceleration lane and new curbing.
Passenger vehicles driving from the Bronx-bound Cross Island Parkway will have to exit at Utopia Parkway (Exit 33N), and those driving from the northbound Whitestone Expressway will get off either at the 20th Avenue exit and or merge onto the Cross Island Parkway. All commercial vehicles must exit the Whitestone Expressway at 20th Avenue (Exit 15).
Signs and traffic agents will be on hand once the detours begin in January. Although these extra precautions will be in place, drivers will not be forced to pay a toll for accidentally going over the bridge. According to the MTA B&T, drivers who miss the exits and go over the bridge can proceed to the cash lane, where the toll collector will give them an off-route pass back to Queens. E-Z Pass patrons can stop in the toll lane and an officer will assist them.
Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) praised the City agency for working closely with him and his office to make sure the construction minimally impacts the surrounding community.
“The sound barrier, decorative screening and other thoughtful inclusions will help maintain our community’s quality of life while this necessary work on the bridge is being done,” Halloran said. “I wish everyone was as easy to work with as Bridges and Tunnels.”
Thursday, November 29, 2012
MLS ‘Land Grab’ Deal
http://queens-politics.com/2012/11/mls-land-grab-deal-has-community-leader-up-in-arms-al/
A local civic leader is calling out elected officials to protect Flushing Meadows Corona Park from a proposed soccer stadium.
A letter from Alfredo Centola, President of the Malba Gardens Civic Association:
This quote from The New York Daily News dated November 27, 2012 “Garber told The Associated Press the league hopes to build a stadium on a 10-acre site in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and expects to have an expansion team play there starting in 2016”.
So we as residents and taxpayers of Queens County are to accept another land grab from us to a major corporation. 10 acres of Parkland is about to be stolen from us and we are to accept it?
“MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Monday the league is “at the finish line” in talks with the city to acquire land in soccer-crazed Queens for a stadium to house the league’s 20th team.”
Ok, so as a “soccer crazed Queens resident” I am offended! THE CITY, is to take taxpayer parkland and “Acquire” the land in order to hand it over to a for profit corporation? From what I know of “soccer crazed Queens Residents” we like to go to the park and PLAY soccer on the weekends. We like to enjoy OUR Parkland for ourselves, our families, our children. We do not want to pay a minimum of let us say for arguments sake, $80 – $150, to watch others play. While I am certain many of us would love to take in a game with the family, and most of us would do so from time to time. I question the legitimacy of taking taxpayer land away from the taxpayer and giving it to a for profit corporation.
Where is the Queens Borough President on this? Why has she not spoken out against this? If this were in Manhattan and we were talking about taking away 10 acres from Central Park in order to build yet another stadium, what would their Borough President be doing? What would our Mayor, a Manhattan resident, be doing? Would they be in favor of such a land grab? I for one doubt it. Aside from our current lame duck Borough President, where are all the announced candidates that are coming out of the woodwork for the position? Why haven’t any of them come forward and denounce this deal? Why are they allowing this deal to go on? Where is Senator Peralta whose district encompasses the community most negatively affected by this land grab? As a matter of fact, Senator Peralta should be out there screaming and yelling. Most Hispanics, my in-laws, my friends included, from the surrounding Jackson Heights-Corona community flood the parks during the summer months. They play soccer, picnic, hold festivals, parties and again PLAY SOCCER, on the land targeted to be stolen.
Where is Senator Avella on this deal? He was quoted in The Capital as saying “You can’t just say,’oh, that sounds like a great idea.” What exactly does he mean by that? Does it mean the deal can go on but needs to be tweeked? I hope not. Why hasn’t he come out against this? Is he going to do so as soon he officially declares his candidacy? On that note, is Councilman Peter Vallone also waiting for his official announcement before he denounces this theft? After all many Astoria residents also utilize Flushing meadows park when participating in soccer tournaments.
Where are Melinda Katz and Leroy Comry on this issue? It is a big issue f
or us Queens voters!
Then we have Barry Grodenchick, who is the “Deputy Queens Borough President”. Mr. Grodenchick already has “Queens Borough President” in his title; only thing he wants removed is the Deputy part. My question is: Why has he remained silent on this Land Grab? As the Deputy to the Queens Borough President, as well as a declared candidate, shouldn’t he be speaking out on this? What is his position?
Now please understand, I am not only targeting Democrats. It’s just that as of right now, no Republican has thrown their hat into the ring.
As a lifelong resident of Queens, I am calling on all the candidates to make their position public on this issue immediately! I am calling on the current Borough President to make her position on this issue public immediately as well!
My position, if you want to know is: This deal is a theft, plain and simple. The people of Queens are being robbed of 10 acres of park land. Don’t tell us about the fields you are going to build for us in the surrounding communities in the future. If you take 10 acres, we want ten acres, and we want to know exactly where and what we are getting in return!
Is the MLS going to allow all that currently use the TEN ACRES to continue using the new stadium during the warm weather months? Will the taxpayers be able to hold their “pick-up” games on the new fields within the stadium? If so, will there now be a fee?
Better yet, leave our land alone! Do what every legitimate business has done in America since its inception: Find a location, make sure it meets all requirements and codes. Then buy the property and build your stadium.
America, land of opportunity! Just not on the taxpayers’ backs!
Alfredo Centola
MLS ‘Land Grab’ Deal
Alfredo Centola, President of the Malba Gardens Civic Association.
A letter from Alfredo Centola, President of the Malba Gardens Civic Association:
This quote from The New York Daily News dated November 27, 2012 “Garber told The Associated Press the league hopes to build a stadium on a 10-acre site in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and expects to have an expansion team play there starting in 2016”.
So we as residents and taxpayers of Queens County are to accept another land grab from us to a major corporation. 10 acres of Parkland is about to be stolen from us and we are to accept it?
“MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Monday the league is “at the finish line” in talks with the city to acquire land in soccer-crazed Queens for a stadium to house the league’s 20th team.”
Ok, so as a “soccer crazed Queens resident” I am offended! THE CITY, is to take taxpayer parkland and “Acquire” the land in order to hand it over to a for profit corporation? From what I know of “soccer crazed Queens Residents” we like to go to the park and PLAY soccer on the weekends. We like to enjoy OUR Parkland for ourselves, our families, our children. We do not want to pay a minimum of let us say for arguments sake, $80 – $150, to watch others play. While I am certain many of us would love to take in a game with the family, and most of us would do so from time to time. I question the legitimacy of taking taxpayer land away from the taxpayer and giving it to a for profit corporation.
Where is the Queens Borough President on this? Why has she not spoken out against this? If this were in Manhattan and we were talking about taking away 10 acres from Central Park in order to build yet another stadium, what would their Borough President be doing? What would our Mayor, a Manhattan resident, be doing? Would they be in favor of such a land grab? I for one doubt it. Aside from our current lame duck Borough President, where are all the announced candidates that are coming out of the woodwork for the position? Why haven’t any of them come forward and denounce this deal? Why are they allowing this deal to go on? Where is Senator Peralta whose district encompasses the community most negatively affected by this land grab? As a matter of fact, Senator Peralta should be out there screaming and yelling. Most Hispanics, my in-laws, my friends included, from the surrounding Jackson Heights-Corona community flood the parks during the summer months. They play soccer, picnic, hold festivals, parties and again PLAY SOCCER, on the land targeted to be stolen.
Where is Senator Avella on this deal? He was quoted in The Capital as saying “You can’t just say,’oh, that sounds like a great idea.” What exactly does he mean by that? Does it mean the deal can go on but needs to be tweeked? I hope not. Why hasn’t he come out against this? Is he going to do so as soon he officially declares his candidacy? On that note, is Councilman Peter Vallone also waiting for his official announcement before he denounces this theft? After all many Astoria residents also utilize Flushing meadows park when participating in soccer tournaments.
Where are Melinda Katz and Leroy Comry on this issue? It is a big issue f
or us Queens voters!
Then we have Barry Grodenchick, who is the “Deputy Queens Borough President”. Mr. Grodenchick already has “Queens Borough President” in his title; only thing he wants removed is the Deputy part. My question is: Why has he remained silent on this Land Grab? As the Deputy to the Queens Borough President, as well as a declared candidate, shouldn’t he be speaking out on this? What is his position?
Now please understand, I am not only targeting Democrats. It’s just that as of right now, no Republican has thrown their hat into the ring.
As a lifelong resident of Queens, I am calling on all the candidates to make their position public on this issue immediately! I am calling on the current Borough President to make her position on this issue public immediately as well!
My position, if you want to know is: This deal is a theft, plain and simple. The people of Queens are being robbed of 10 acres of park land. Don’t tell us about the fields you are going to build for us in the surrounding communities in the future. If you take 10 acres, we want ten acres, and we want to know exactly where and what we are getting in return!
Is the MLS going to allow all that currently use the TEN ACRES to continue using the new stadium during the warm weather months? Will the taxpayers be able to hold their “pick-up” games on the new fields within the stadium? If so, will there now be a fee?
Better yet, leave our land alone! Do what every legitimate business has done in America since its inception: Find a location, make sure it meets all requirements and codes. Then buy the property and build your stadium.
America, land of opportunity! Just not on the taxpayers’ backs!
Alfredo Centola
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
A positive for our community.
Steve Behar to succeed Senator Avella?
Civic leader Steve Behar may have an opening to run for State Senate.
It is widely rumored incumbent Senator Tony Avella will be throwing his hat in the ring for Borough President. Should Avella become the next Beep, a special election will be held where community advocate Steve Behar will have a chance to take his place in Albany.
Behar, a progressive reformer who ran unsuccessfully for City Council and State Assembly, has been quietly building a coalition of community and civic leaders, which are already expressing encouragement.
Alfredo Centola, President of the Malba Gardens Civic Association agrees Behar would be the right choice for the district. “Steve would be phenomenally excellent and he would take into account all the needs of the community and he would listen to all the different parts of the community and work with everyone” said Centola. “He’s straightforward and he’s genuine, which is rare.”
Democratic District Leader Martha Flores Vazquez also expressed support. “Steve appears to be a gentleman with an open mind; his law experience may benefit the community in the state legislature.”
In what will be a hotly contested race pitting Avella against other campaign heavyweights like City Councilman Peter Vallone and Leroy Comrie, Lobbyist Melinda Katz, and Senator Jose Peralta, despite the strong opposition Avella is said to be mulling a chance to stand out from the crowd to gain a foothold in boro-wide politics for another shot at Mayor in 2017.
in the meantime, Behar, a member of Community Board 11, has been busy honing his campaign skills delivering victory after victory for the Democratic Party. Recently he served as field director for Nassau County Legislator Carrie Solages, campaign manager for Senator-elect James Sanders, as well as spearheading the legal team for Congresswoman-elect Grace Meng.
Should the pieces fall into place, a special election will likely take place in February to fill the vacancy. The County organization will have the choice to endorse Behar in the special or risk losing his large base (who will likely stay home in protest) and give rise to Senator Halloran – a frightening prospect for the Democratic County organization considering Republican Senator Frank Padavan represented the district for over 30 years.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Thanks to the Dwarfe Giraffe league. True community leaders
NE Queens mobilizes with major rescue effort
Peggy Cerroni shows youngster Brianna Wilson the box where shoes were collected.
| http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/45/whitestonestorm_all_2012_11_08_q.html | ||||||||||
| Once again the Dwarf Giraffe league in Whitestone showed what a true community group is all about. |
Stephen Wilson spent part of the week driving clothing collected by his son’s Boy Scout troop down to the storm-ravaged neighborhoods of Queens, like Breezy Point, much of the Rockaways and Broad Channel.
The College Point resident has a large 12-by-6-foot enclosed trailer that proved handy, but after arriving with the goods, he realized people needed more than warm clothing.
“It was devastation everywhere. It was people wandering around wondering what to do,” he said. “They were looking for cleaning products, shovels, dry food, paper towels and blankets.”
Wilson knew that others in the northeast Queens area wanted to help but did not really know how, so he contacted the head of the Dwarf Giraffe Athletic League, a sports organization for Queens youngsters in which Wilson is involved, and used its massive network of families to get out the word that the league would be having a drive Sunday.
“It started out slow Sunday morning, and after I believe church was done, people just started pouring in,” Wilson said. “The amount of items donated was unbelievable.”
It soon became clear that even Wilson’s trailer would be woefully inadequate.
On a whim, he called his stepfather, an NYPD mechanic, and asked if the shop had any extra vehicles to help.
Soon, a 20-foot box truck arrived at the Dwarf Giraffe gym, at 149-50 15th Road.
It was filled as well.
Wilson and others drove the items down to the Aqueduct Racino, where the Red Cross was sorting and staging items for delivery, and also to the Breezy Point Volunteer Fire Department, which was grateful for the items, which included $1,000 worth of medical supplies donated by an area Wallgreens.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Greater Whitestone shows that involvement in the community makes it better for all
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/29/wallgreenspaint_wt_2012_07_19_q.html
The result of a bizarre act of vandalism was finally cleaned up in Whitestone, ending an eyesore’s reign over 14th Avenue.
For more than a year, the exterior of the Walgreens on 14th Avenue and Cross Island Parkway had been pockmarked with dents incurred in a mysterious act of nighttime aggression.
READ MORE CLICK ON LINK BELOW:
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/29/wallgreenspaint_wt_2012_07_19_q.html
The result of a bizarre act of vandalism was finally cleaned up in Whitestone, ending an eyesore’s reign over 14th Avenue.
For more than a year, the exterior of the Walgreens on 14th Avenue and Cross Island Parkway had been pockmarked with dents incurred in a mysterious act of nighttime aggression.
READ MORE CLICK ON LINK BELOW:
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/29/wallgreenspaint_wt_2012_07_19_q.html
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Whitestone rapist still at large
Whitestone residents last to know.
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/31/dnaclearsname_ne_2012_08_02_q.html#feedback
Charges of attempted rape were quietly dropped against a Bayside man after he said DNA evidence proved he was not the man responsible for the crime.
“I’m not that guy. I’m not that monster,” said 41-year-old Kenneth King, who was incarcerated for nine months between his September arrest and May release.
The Queens district attorney’s office officially dropped his case July 10 after DNA found on a sweater of the victim did not match his, according to King and his lawyer.
The DA declined to comment for this story, but King said his lawyer had long requested a DNA test but did not get his wish until a judge forced the issue at a court date six months into his incarceration.
King is currently working to put his life back together after the ordeal, which he said is not easy.
“I’ve never had anxiety, never had insomnia before,” he said. “Now it’s there constantly.”
King formerly was a traveling chef who would work at summer destinations all along the East Coast, but moved back to Bayside and worked as a plumber in order to be able to take care of his 90-year-old grandmother.
She did not take King’s incarceration lightly.
On the morning of Sept. 28, a 33-year-old Asian woman was walking along the north service road of the Cross Island Parkway near 148th Street.
According to eyewitness Brian Teichman, a former U.S. Marine who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, a man approached and shoved the woman in the foliage and leapt in after her.
Teichman rushed over to the edge of the road and started shouting, which scared the perpetrator off.
King said he was with his grandmother at Flushing Hospital that morning. She had hurt her leg in a fall and he had stayed up all night to care for her.
Instead of reporting to his job as he normally would have and having a documented alibi, he called his boss to request the morning off, he said.
It was a decision that racked his grandmother with guilt, he said.
“She felt that if she hadn’t fallen down, then I would have been at work,” King said.
King’s lawyer, Scott DuFault, said the case was built on weak identification to begin with.
Following the attack, a police sketch was plastered around the neighborhood, and eventually King was asked to come into the precinct.
The Marine who witnessed the attack was asked to pick King out of a lineup, but struggled between two men before fingering King, according to DuFault.
“It was really a tentative identification,” DuFault said.
Once a test was done and King’s DNA was found not to match DNA found on the woman’s sweater after the attacker grabbed her, King was released from Rikers Island and then his case was ultimately dropped.
But he wishes the DA had made a public admission about the case.
“If you make a mistake, you man up about it,” he said. “My life will never be the same.”
The judge in the case and the Queens County Clerk’s office said they could not comment on the case.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2012/31/dnaclearsname_ne_2012_08_02_q.html#feedback
Charges of attempted rape were quietly dropped against a Bayside man after he said DNA evidence proved he was not the man responsible for the crime.
“I’m not that guy. I’m not that monster,” said 41-year-old Kenneth King, who was incarcerated for nine months between his September arrest and May release.
The Queens district attorney’s office officially dropped his case July 10 after DNA found on a sweater of the victim did not match his, according to King and his lawyer.
The DA declined to comment for this story, but King said his lawyer had long requested a DNA test but did not get his wish until a judge forced the issue at a court date six months into his incarceration.
King is currently working to put his life back together after the ordeal, which he said is not easy.
“I’ve never had anxiety, never had insomnia before,” he said. “Now it’s there constantly.”
King formerly was a traveling chef who would work at summer destinations all along the East Coast, but moved back to Bayside and worked as a plumber in order to be able to take care of his 90-year-old grandmother.
She did not take King’s incarceration lightly.
On the morning of Sept. 28, a 33-year-old Asian woman was walking along the north service road of the Cross Island Parkway near 148th Street.
According to eyewitness Brian Teichman, a former U.S. Marine who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, a man approached and shoved the woman in the foliage and leapt in after her.
Teichman rushed over to the edge of the road and started shouting, which scared the perpetrator off.
King said he was with his grandmother at Flushing Hospital that morning. She had hurt her leg in a fall and he had stayed up all night to care for her.
Instead of reporting to his job as he normally would have and having a documented alibi, he called his boss to request the morning off, he said.
It was a decision that racked his grandmother with guilt, he said.
“She felt that if she hadn’t fallen down, then I would have been at work,” King said.
King’s lawyer, Scott DuFault, said the case was built on weak identification to begin with.
Following the attack, a police sketch was plastered around the neighborhood, and eventually King was asked to come into the precinct.
The Marine who witnessed the attack was asked to pick King out of a lineup, but struggled between two men before fingering King, according to DuFault.
“It was really a tentative identification,” DuFault said.
Once a test was done and King’s DNA was found not to match DNA found on the woman’s sweater after the attacker grabbed her, King was released from Rikers Island and then his case was ultimately dropped.
But he wishes the DA had made a public admission about the case.
“If you make a mistake, you man up about it,” he said. “My life will never be the same.”
The judge in the case and the Queens County Clerk’s office said they could not comment on the case.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
©2012 Community Newspaper Group
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
THE SUSPECTED RAPIST IN WHITESTONE IS STILL AT LARGE.
ALERT!!!!
THE SUSPECTED RAPIST IN WHITESTONE IS STILL AT LARGE.
THE MAN ORIGINALY ARRESTED WAS EXONERATED BY DNA EVIDENCE.
READ BELOW;
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news%2Flocal%2Fnew_york&id=8748045
This is time he will never get back.
"If this case didn't happen, she probably wouldn't have gone into depression and I could have been with her every step of the way," said King.
Instead, he was behind bars at Rikers, IDed by a witness who picked him out of a lineup.
He was charged with the attempted rape of a woman last September near a bust stop along the Cross Island Parkway in Whitestone.
A crime in progress was stopped by a former Marine who happened to be in the area.
A police sketch led police to the 41-year-old.
For 9 months, that question was hanging over his head. The Queens DA's office pressed forward with their case against him. It took 7 months before a DNA test was ordered.
"The case was dismissed - the DNA exonerates him. It shows that he was excluded as a person who grabbed that woman's shirt," said District Attorney Scott Dufault.
However, now King says he's living another type of nightmare, trying to clear his name. He acknowledges a troubled past in his 20s including an attempted robbery, which he served time for.
---
THE SUSPECTED RAPIST IN WHITESTONE IS STILL AT LARGE.
THE MAN ORIGINALY ARRESTED WAS EXONERATED BY DNA EVIDENCE.
READ BELOW;
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news%2Flocal%2Fnew_york&id=8748045
This is time he will never get back.
"If this case didn't happen, she probably wouldn't have gone into depression and I could have been with her every step of the way," said King.
Instead, he was behind bars at Rikers, IDed by a witness who picked him out of a lineup.
He was charged with the attempted rape of a woman last September near a bust stop along the Cross Island Parkway in Whitestone.
A crime in progress was stopped by a former Marine who happened to be in the area.
A police sketch led police to the 41-year-old.
For 9 months, that question was hanging over his head. The Queens DA's office pressed forward with their case against him. It took 7 months before a DNA test was ordered.
"The case was dismissed - the DNA exonerates him. It shows that he was excluded as a person who grabbed that woman's shirt," said District Attorney Scott Dufault.
However, now King says he's living another type of nightmare, trying to clear his name. He acknowledges a troubled past in his 20s including an attempted robbery, which he served time for.
---
(Copyright ©2012 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Town Hall with Senator Avella
Senator Avella will be co-hosting a Town Hall for the Entire Whitestone community.
It will take place at
PS 193 on May 17th from 7 to 9 PM.
So far we have confirmed the representation of 11 agencies including Transportation, Environmental protection, Education, and Sanitation to name a few.
ALL OF WHITESTONE IS INVITED PLEASE BRING A FRIEND, BRING A NEIGHBOR.
It will take place at
PS 193 on May 17th from 7 to 9 PM.
So far we have confirmed the representation of 11 agencies including Transportation, Environmental protection, Education, and Sanitation to name a few.
ALL OF WHITESTONE IS INVITED PLEASE BRING A FRIEND, BRING A NEIGHBOR.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Another issue our community has to fight for.
http://queenscourier.com/2012/whitestone-bridge-project-angers-homeowners/
Homeowners in Malba Gardens are feeling the toll of the $109 million project to widen the Whitestone Bridge.
“Our homes in Malba Gardens, we take great pride in them. We put a lot of money into these homes, and the last thing we want to see is our values decrease from this expansion,” said resident Antonio Melone. “That is my domain, and I will do everything to protect it. And every resident in Malba Gardens is willing to do the same. If it takes for us to protest on that bridge, we will do that.”
According to MTA Bridges and Tunnels, the project will provide wider 12-foot lanes on the bridge with new emergency breakdown lanes. Reconstruction efforts also promise a brand new playground and new location for Francis Lewis Park, which is expected to open by early May.
But while construction may mean brand new swings, a jungle gym and newly-planted trees for the neighborhood’s children, parents are saying the overall picture is far from perfect.
“The bridge is actually moving 18 feet closer to the homes,” Melone said. “We also lost a lot of trees that were 40, 50 years old. There are a lot of issues and concerns that we have about this.”
Resident Alfredo Centola said losing the trees has not helped alleviate the growingly-noticeable noise issues since the project’s groundbreaking. The construction, he fears, will also lead to increased traffic and pollution. “As of right now, it’s an inconvenience, and there is a negative impact with the noise,” Centola said. “We just want to make sure when the construction is over that they’ll build an eight-foot wall to mitigate the noise.”
Malba Gardens homeowners said there was talk earlier about building a barrier to block out racket from the bridge, but officials said they could not verify the possibility due to the project’s premature stage.
That’s unacceptable. We can’t wait until the end of the project to know,” Centola said. “They’re stringing us along.”
MTA Bridges and Tunnels officials said construction on the Queens end of the bridge began in the fall. Ongoing work will take place for over two more years.
By Melissa Chan mchan@queenscourier.com
Tags: Francis Lewis Park, Malba Gardens, MTA Bridges and Tunnels, Whitestone, whitestone bridge
Homeowners in Malba Gardens are feeling the toll of the $109 million project to widen the Whitestone Bridge.
“Our homes in Malba Gardens, we take great pride in them. We put a lot of money into these homes, and the last thing we want to see is our values decrease from this expansion,” said resident Antonio Melone. “That is my domain, and I will do everything to protect it. And every resident in Malba Gardens is willing to do the same. If it takes for us to protest on that bridge, we will do that.”
According to MTA Bridges and Tunnels, the project will provide wider 12-foot lanes on the bridge with new emergency breakdown lanes. Reconstruction efforts also promise a brand new playground and new location for Francis Lewis Park, which is expected to open by early May.
But while construction may mean brand new swings, a jungle gym and newly-planted trees for the neighborhood’s children, parents are saying the overall picture is far from perfect.
“The bridge is actually moving 18 feet closer to the homes,” Melone said. “We also lost a lot of trees that were 40, 50 years old. There are a lot of issues and concerns that we have about this.”
Resident Alfredo Centola said losing the trees has not helped alleviate the growingly-noticeable noise issues since the project’s groundbreaking. The construction, he fears, will also lead to increased traffic and pollution. “As of right now, it’s an inconvenience, and there is a negative impact with the noise,” Centola said. “We just want to make sure when the construction is over that they’ll build an eight-foot wall to mitigate the noise.”
Malba Gardens homeowners said there was talk earlier about building a barrier to block out racket from the bridge, but officials said they could not verify the possibility due to the project’s premature stage.
That’s unacceptable. We can’t wait until the end of the project to know,” Centola said. “They’re stringing us along.”
MTA Bridges and Tunnels officials said construction on the Queens end of the bridge began in the fall. Ongoing work will take place for over two more years.
By Melissa Chan mchan@queenscourier.com
Tags: Francis Lewis Park, Malba Gardens, MTA Bridges and Tunnels, Whitestone, whitestone bridge
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