A common sense proposal to reduce the amount of construction work on city streets has finally been implemented this week. 
On Monday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and city Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan announced a new digital program called the Street Works Manual that allows the city to coordinate roadwork with utility companies and contractors.
“We’re going to improve something that’s aggravated New Yorkers since we’ve had paved roads—streets getting torn up, repaved and then sometimes getting torn up all over again for another project,” Bloomberg said at a press conference on Skillman Avenue in Sunnyside.
“We’ve designed a new online program to improve coordination of street projects, keeping more streets open for traffic and cutting costs. Utility companies and contractors will coordinate their work with the city, to ensure, for example, that non-emergency repair work does not start a month after a road was resurfaced or a month after another utility was working in the same location,” Bloomberg continued.
The Street Works Manual will now post and update excavation permits and resurfacing schedules on nyc.gov. Capital projects will also be updated on the web, allowing companies to see when projects are planned and contact the city to coordinate street-related work simultaneously. The new plan also increases fines for digging up or closing streets without a permit and gives companies stronger incentives for collaboration.
“The streets are the foundation for the city’s infrastructure and this landmark agreement will help reduce the toll of construction on our streets and keep them open for business,” Sadik-Khan said.
As the press conference took place, the DOT was working in tandem with Con Edison on a project along Skillman Avenue.
“This information exchange initiative promises to be a valuable tool for improving how we coordinate and deliver better service to our customers and the communities in which they live,” ConEd vice President for construction Marc Huestis said.
Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) praised the new system.
“We need our roads paved and clear of potholes and we should do all we can to mitigate the number of times a street is ripped up for work by other agencies,” he said.
