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One Mile of New Storm Sewers Comes to Rosedale, Queens
July 2020
Storms will no longer bring worry to the residents of 27 blocks in Rosedale, Queens after the City completed a $12 million project to improve drainage and street conditions in their neighborhood as part of the huge initiative to improve drainage and street conditions in southeast Queens.
DDC and DEP completed the installation of 5,265 feet of new storm sewers and 115 feet of new combined sewers. An additional 2,050 feet of combined sewers were replaced to expand and upgrade drainage capacity. To better capture stormwater and direct it to the new storm sewers, 10 new catch basins were installed and 39 catch basins were replaced. And to improve the long-term reliability of local water delivery, 425 feet of water mains were replaced.
As part of the final street restoration, 6,728 feet of new roadway was laid down, while throughout the Conselyea Park area, 525 new plants were placed.
The project is part of a $1.9 billion investment by the de Blasio Administration to alleviate flooding and improve street conditions in neighborhoods throughout southeast Queens. The program, the largest of its kind in the City, consists of 43 individual projects.
Mr. Stephen Dawkins has lived in his Rosedale home since the 1970s after he moved from Saint Andrew, Jamaica with his family. When it pours, many people in his community become stressed about the heavy water accumulation near their property.
“For all of the years that we’ve lived here, this is the most amount of construction the City has done to our neighborhood. Right around the corner, there’s a lot of water accumulation that affects our neighbors and their home. Now we are waiting for heavy rain to test the power of our new storm sewers,” he said.
“There have been several recent projects to upgrade infrastructure in Rosedale, and we thank the community for their cooperation as the City works to alleviate flooding and improve streets in the neighborhood,” said DDC Commissioner Lorraine Grillo. “The Southeast Queens Initiative is the largest investment of its kind by the City, and represents a major commitment to an area that has been historically underserved.”
“With every infrastructure project completed, Southeast Queens gets closer to finally having the proper investment to address systemic flooding issues caused by the severe lack of stormwater infrastructure,” said Council Member Donovan Richards. “As part of the $1.9 billion project to improve street and flooding conditions throughout Southeast Queens, this $12 million project will provide long overdue relief to 27 blocks in Rosedale by improving street conditions, alleviating flooding and upgrading infrastructure. I’d like to thank Mayor de Blasio and Commissioners Sapienza and Grillo for their continued progress on this historic investment for our residents.”
To manage the needs of residents and businesses while construction is being wrapped up, DDC has a full-time Community Construction Liaison (CCL) assigned to the project. CCL Rachel Zurita kept the neighborhood apprised of construction progress, coordinated street closures and utility shutoffs and arranged special requests such as deliveries to local homes and businesses. Ms. Zurita works on-site and is directly accessible to the public at (347) 744-2524 or by email at brookvilleccl@gmail.com.