Neverending East Houston Roadwork Decimates 2nd Avenue Intersection
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Stay away from 2nd Avenue and East Houston.
The city’s capital plan to replace infrastructure beneath East Houston Street is more than three years behind schedule, as previously stated. And yet there’s not much to show for it except roving staging areas, traffic bottlenecks, pedestrian detours, and loss to small businesses.
Most recently, contractors opened up the intersection of 2nd Avenue a few months ago. Late in the game already, purpose of this hell hole is to install a forty-eight-inch trunk water main. Well, the sub-job is intensifying. This component of the project, like others, is equally complicated by purported utility interference beneath the pavement.
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As a result, the triangular median island was uprooted and traffic flow totally altered to the point where it’s even more dangerous to cross the street. Bedlam.
The multimillion-dollar capital works initiative began on the west side of Manhattan over a decade ago and reached the Bowery around June 2010. This was the start of Phase II, initially slated to last three years. Not surprisingly, the estimate was thrice revised – first to December 2015, then September 2016, and most recently to October 2016.
Oh, and it’s worth reiterating that the two-way protected bike lane for Chrystie Street remains tied to the timeline this project. Its implementation is also planned for “fall 2016,” assuming the approvals go through (CB3 and the city). The aforementioned triangular median removed should return at the conclusion of roadwork.