8 MARCH 22, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
DOT fi nally names new contractor for Metropolitan Ave. project
Small section of Gates Avenue
gets one-way conversion
The intersection of Gates Avenue and Forest Avenue, looking west
down Gates Avenue.
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
A small section of Gates Avenue
in Ridgewood will soon
become a one-way street in response
to a bus route’s turning troubles.
According to the Department of
Transportation (DOT), the portion of
Gates Avenue between Forest Avenue
and Grandview Avenue will be converted
from a two- way street to a one-way in
Photo via Google Maps
the westbound direction on Thursday,
April 19.
A DOT spokesperson said the
conversion is “to help assist with
the B13 turns in that area.”
The conversion would likely
cause a slight change to the B13 route,
though the MTA has yet to confi rm
if that is the case. Buses traveling
east on Gates Avenue would likely
have to make a right on Fairview
Avenue southbound to get back to
Forest Avenue.
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
Nearly three months aft er the
Department of Transportation
(DOT) defaulted its contract
with Mugrose Construction to reconstruct
the bridge deck on Metropolitan
Avenue near Fresh Pond Road on the
Ridgewood/Middle Village border, the
agency announced on March 19 that a
new contractor is fi nally in place.
According to a press release, Travelers
Casualty and Surety Company of
America has taken over the contract
for the long-overdue repairs, and it
has selected Beaver Concrete Construction
Company Inc. to do the work.
There is no offi cial target completion
date for the project now, but a DOT
spokesperson said that the department
is currently working with Beaver
Concrete Construction to develop an
updated timeline.
Valentino Rizzo, president of Beaver
Concrete Construction, said he was not
allowed to comment on the project, but
his company appears to be more qualifi
ed for the job. The DOT said Beaver
Concrete Construction has completed
a number of bridge rehabilitation
projects for the City, including repairs
to the Trans-Manhattan Expressway
Connector Ramp in Manhattan, and
is currently under contract for other
bridge rehab projects in all other
boroughs.
For Steven Vinas, owner of Tropical
Restaurant in Middle Village, the
appearance of workers on the site
preparing to get started is a breath
of fresh air. His restaurant is tucked
away behind a temporary concrete
barrier next to the bridge that has
been anything but temporary. The
traffic problems from the stalled
project caused his sales to decline by
40 percent, he said.
“My landlord gave me another 60
days, so I’m trying to come up with new
strategies, I’m trying to hang in there,”
Vinas said when the Ridgewood Times
caught up with him on March 20. “My
deliveries are still on point, so we’re
going to try to stick it out.”
When the Ridgewood Times last
spoke to Vinas inside the dining room
of Tropical, the 13-year restaurant
was empty during the lunch hour and
Vinas said he was going to seriously
consider closing it down. He was
facing a 60-day deadline to decide
whether he would re-sign his lease or
not, and there was no end to the bridge
project in sight.
Today, he said that his new strategies
and cutting back on certain costs is
helping slightly. His landlord decided
to extend his deadline and is working
with him and being fair, he said. But
he also gave credit to the Ridgewood
Times report about how the construction
was hurting him.
Aft er the report, Vinas said, several
customers who came into the restaurant
or called in delivery orders told
him that they saw the report and
wanted to “show their patronage.”
While it appears that Tropical
has a chance to survive through the
Metropolitan Avenue project, it still
depends on how soon the work can be
fi nished. At a Feb. 28 meeting of the
Community Board 5 Transportation
Services Committee, Queens Borough
Deputy Commissioner Jason Banrey
said that DOT is still aiming to have
the construction completed in August,
and one of the biggest components of
the selection process is being sure
the new contractor can meet that
deadline.
At the Board 5 general meeting on
March 14, however, district manager
Gary Giordano said that the DOT is
hoping the project will be done by
September.
Photo by Ryan Kelley/QNS
Two new members
Of Glendale Kiwanis
The Kiwanis Club of Glendale proudly inducted two new members
during their March 8 meeting at Zum Stammtisch restaurant in
Glendale. Glendale Kiwanis President Kerrie Hansen helped the club
welcome Captain Robert Ciriaco of the Salvation Army (seated, at right)
and Eric Kropf, a fi nancial advisor at Merrill Lynch (seated, at left ). Shown
standing (from left to right) are Glendale Kiwanis members Debbie Kueber,
Assemblyman Mike Miller, Hansen and Tony Sauro.
Photo courtesy of Kerrie Hansen
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