8 SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Armed bandits hit two Maspeth &
Midville gas stations in a half-hour
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@ROBBPOZ
Detectives are still investigating
a pair of service station robberies
in Maspeth and Middle
Village that occurred just 30 minutes
apart early on Sunday morning, law
enforcement sources said.
According to the NYPD, the fi rst
stickup occurred at 1:30 a.m. on Sept.
24 inside the BP station located at 59-
36 Maurice Ave., near the Long Island
Expressway, in Maspeth.
Authorities said that two suspects
— described as black males — entered
the station’s mini-mart and pretended
to shop for merchandise. Upon
approaching the counter, manned
by a 58-year-old male clerk, one of
the perpetrators displayed a small
handgun.
Police said the crooks then removed
$500 in cash from the register and fl ed
the scene in an unknown direction.
Approximately 30 minutes later,
law enforcement sources stated, two
The Mobil gas station located at 69-08 Eliot Ave. in Middle Village was
the second of two service stations robbed on Sept. 24.
armed robbers visited the Mobil gas
station located 69-08 Eliot Ave. in
Middle Village. The location is about
1.2 miles away from the BP station in
Maspeth, or about a 5-minute drive,
according to Google Maps.
As in the first incident, sources
familiar with the investigation said,
two unidentifi ed black males shopped
for items, then brought them to the
counter and confronted a 39-year-old
male clerk. One of the suspects then
produced a small black handgun and
demanded cash.
Photo via Google Maps
The bandits proceeded to remove
$1,000 in cash from the register, then
exited the store; they were last seen
fl eeing inside what police described
as a black hatchback traveling in an
unknown direction.
Offi cers from the 104th Precinct responded
to both incidents, and police
launched a search of the surrounding
areas for the suspects. Despite
their eff orts, no immediate arrests
were made.
The 104th Precinct Detective Squad
is conducting the investigation.
Bridge work
resumes on
Ridgewood/
M.V. border
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@A_GIUDICEREPORT
Get ready for more traffi c
tie-ups on the Middle Village/
Ridgewood border as
the long-delayed Metropolitan
Avenue Bridge deck replacement
project has resumed in high gear.
On Sept. 26, work crews once
again cut Metropolitan Avenue at
Fresh Pond Road in half, with one
lane in each direction just to the
east of the intersection. Workers
will continue rebuilding the bridge
on the north side of the avenue at the
former gas station, which will cause
detours and bus route changes.
Work associated with Stage 1 of this
project first began in February — seven
months after the original project
start date — but was halted during
the summer as Metropolitan Avenue
was widened in order to accommodate
the shuttle buses and added traffic
due to the shutdown of the M train.
The remainder of Stage 1 is
expected to last six months, from
Sept. 26 to March 2018.
Although work was paused on the
bridge deck for two months, Community
Board 5 District Manager
Gary Giordano said, construction
crews made some improvements
below the deck, examining the steel
structure of the bridge that spans
the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)
tracks underneath.
As the project gets back underway
next week, major traffi c
changes will be coming with it,
including the following:
The Department of Transportation
(DOT) indicated that there
will be two types of traffi c diversions:
one for all vehicles and one
for trucks and all buses, including
school buses;
There will also be Traffi c Control
Agents stationed at three locations
24/7 for the duration of the project;
Relocated bus stops for the Q54,
Q38, and @67 buses;
Restricted parking along
Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh
Pond Road;
A new temporary pedestrian
sidewalk from Metropolitan Avenue
to Fresh Pond Road; and
A change in the direction of traffi
c on 60th Lane and a new temporary
traffi c signal installed at 60th
Lane and Metropolitan Avenue.
More Select Bus Service routes coming this November
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
AGIUDICE@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@A_GIUDICEREPORT
The MTA will convert not one,
but two limited stop bus routes
along Woodhaven and Cross
Bay Boulevards into Select Bus Service
(SBS) lines this November.
This new set of SBS routes would
eff ectively replace the Q52 and Q53
limited-stop routes that run on
the boulevards between Elmhurst
and the Rockaways, Stephen A.
Vidal, acting president of MTA Bus
Company, wrote in a Sept. 15 letter
written to Congresswoman Grace
Meng; QNS obtained a copy of the
correspondence.
MTA and the NYC Department of
Transportation (DOT) held nearly
two dozen public participation
workshops to help fi nd the best area
for the next SBS routes, and the Q52
and Q53 were named “solid candidates”
for the SBS program. They
both carry a large volume of passengers
on a heavily used corridor
that is oft en gridlocked with traffi c,
especially during rush hours.
The plan to implement SBS routes
on the Q52 and Q53 lines was presented
to the NYC Transit and Bus
Committee of the MTA Board for
informational purposes on Monday,
Sept. 25, and the city agency is expecting
the changes to take eff ect on
or about Sunday, Nov. 12, according
to an MTA spokesperson.
In the Sept. 15 letter, Vidal noted
the importance of both Woodhaven
and Cross Bay boulevards as vital
north-south roadways, and that
Cross Bay is one of a few routes that
connect the Rockaways to the rest
of the city.
“Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards
constitute a major north-south
corridor in Queens,” Vidal wrote.
“Along the entire corridor, there is
a high concentration of residential
land uses, as well as a number of key
activity centers that generate significant
bus trip activity.”
The routes connect passengers
to other major transportation options
including nine subway lines
(7/A/E/F/M/R/J/Z/Shuttle to Rockaway
Park) and the Long Island Rail
Road (LIRR).
Although some residents in
neighborhoods where the SBS will
run had expressed opposition to the
plan, the MTA contends that transforming
the Q52 and Q53 routes as
SBS lines will increase the average
bus speed and ridership, as the program
has done for the city’s other 15
SBS routes.
When implementation is complete,
the Q52 and Q53 SBS will stop
at newly constructed boarding areas
along the existing medians that
separate the service road from the
Photo via YouTube
The MTA is planning to begin
implementation of SBS routes
for the Q52 and Q53 buses.
main road of Woodhaven Boulevard
to maintain three lanes of traffi c in
each direction. These stations will
have features including shelters,
improved waiting areas, public art,
and more. DOT also plans to install
bus priority queue jumps at specifi c
locations in areas without designated
bus lanes.
The new Q52 and Q53 SBS routes
will also feature off-board fare
collection, special three-door articulated
buses, and traffi c signal
prioritization, along with plans to
install wayfi nding signage to provide
real-time bus arrival information
at most SBS stations.
