The city Department of Transportation’s resurfacing and paving operation has resurfaced 1,089 miles of roadway in 2015, with Queens and Brooklyn accounting for more than half of the total, according to the latest available statistics.
As of Nov. 23, DOT has resurfaced 315.42 lane miles in Brooklyn, and 313.42 in Queens.
The new numbers were part of the de Blasio administration’s announcement on Monday of the ahead-of-schedule completion of a resurfacing project along the 9.5-mile FDR Highway. The $8.5 million project, the first time since the FDR was completed in 1966 that it has been resurfaced end-to-end, kicked off in early July and will conclude this week.
The projects are part of a larger $1.6 billion commitment the city has made over the next decade to resurface roads all over the city, with 2,500 lane miles to be resurfaced in the next 18 months.
The funding will allow DOT to resurface 1,200 lane miles in Fiscal Year 2016 and 1,300 lane miles in FY2017, and increase the percentage of streets in a state of good repair to 80 percent, up from 71.3 percent, by the end of FY2017.
“That’s a very substantial amount of money that will make a huge difference,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in May. “So we’ll keep filling the potholes every time they crop up, but we want to more and more get to this core solution and go further. We know when all this is done, we’re going to have a different city and a better city… Again, that’s part of what makes the city safer. We’ll be taking other steps as well – clearer road markings, clearer crosswalks – that’s something a lot of people around the city have asked for to improve safety. We’re going to be working on that as well. So this is about the quality of life; this about our future, economically.”
Also on Monday, de Blasio urged drivers to slow down and respect posted speed limits throughout the city, including in work zones where DOT personnel are resurfacing the roadways. The penalty for speeding in a work zone is double a typical speeding ticket, with penalties that range from approximately $190 and $700.
Drivers who speed in a work zone face additional points on the driving record and administrative fees.
“Motorists, cyclists, wheelchair users and pedestrians crossing intersections will benefit from DOT’s resurfacing work in all five boroughs,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “I ask that motorists show appreciation to our Roadways crews by driving slowly and safely near our work zones.”
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
