September 9, 2018

Dear Neighbors,

The Village of New Hyde Park will host another in a series of public information sessions about the LIRR Third Track Project.  We will have presentation from the LIRR and Third Track Constructors (3TC), the design-build consortium that has the contract to perform the work.

The meeting will be held at the New Hyde Park Road School auditorium located at 300 New Hyde Park Road on Thursday, September 13th at 7:30 pm.

Please be sure to attend this important meeting to get an update on the project, including a description of what will be done and where; and the impacts we can expect to experience.

As you can see, the LIRR Third Track Project is upon us.  Early work has begun in and around Covert Avenue; relocating underground utilities.  This includes water, sewer and gas lines on Second Avenue, Third Avenue, Wayne Avenue and Covert Avenue.

The early works of this mega-project is already showing early adverse impacts to our residents.  We are working with the LIRR and 3TC to improve communications and to better manage and mitigate some of those impacts.

The work on Covert Avenue required a lane closure north of the tracks, resulting in traffic backed up on Covert Avenue and nearby streets at different times.

The work on gas lines on Covert Avenue resulted in the placement of steel plates over the excavation sites.  The plates were poorly positioned and loose, causing a good deal of noise when vehicles ran over them.  Residents on Covert Avenue were subject to that noise 24 hours a day and throughout the Labor Day weekend.

Covert Avenue residents were also subject to jackhammers running well past midnight as National Grid and their contractor worked to get the gas lines lowered to accommodate the depression of Covert Avenue.

There is still more excavation to be done in the area as new catch basins will be installed beneath Second Avenue to permit drainage from what will be the Covert Avenue underpass.

In the next few weeks we should see the demolition of the industrial building at 124 Covert Avenue.  This property will be used for staging of construction equipment.

The unfortunate truth is that some of these conditions will continue to impact us as the project progresses.  The good news is that once it is complete, New Hyde Park will be an even more desirable place to live and raise a family in a wholesome suburban community.

Best regards,

Lawrence J. Montreuil

Mayor

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