8 NOVEMBER 30, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Metro./Fresh Pond bridge project’s fi rst phase moving slowly
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@ROBBPOZ
For nearly a year, drivers in
Middle Village and Ridgewood
have been dealing with the
reconstruction of a railroad bridge
that's tied up traffi c along two major
thoroughfares — and there's no sign
that the work will end anytime soon.
The reconstruction of the bridge
carrying Metropolitan Avenue and
Fresh Pond Road above the Long Island
Rail Road's Montauk branch began last
January aft er a six-month delay. Crews
reduced traffi c on both roadways to one
lane in each direction while they worked
on rebuilding the span's northern side.
Once that's completed, workers will
rebuild the bridge's southern side.
Initially, the fi rst phase was scheduled
to be completed by January of 2018. That
target date appears completely out of
reach, according to Community Board
5 District Manager Gary Giordano, considering
the delayed start and other complications
that arose during the project.
In the summer, Metropolitan Avenue
was temporarily restored to four full
traffi c lanes to accommodate extra bus
traffi c while the MTA closed down the
nearby M line for two straight months.
Once shuttle train service was restored
to line on the Labor Day weekend, the
work zone on Metropolitan Avenue was
restored.
But there's been little discernible
progress with regard to the bridge's
reconstruction, Giordano told the Ridgewood
Times in an interview. While he
was informed that crews are working
to shore up the bottom of the bridge, not
much has been done on the top side of
the span.
"There aren't any structural problems
that they've found so far underneath
the bridge," he said. "But no one can tell
me when this contractor is going to get
back to the top of the bridge and fi nish
the fi rst stage."
Mugrose Construction, a New Jersey
based fi rm, was contracted by the
city Department of Transportation
(DOT) to complete the bridge project.
Last year, Giordano and Board 5 members
expressed concerns about whether
Mugrose could handle a project of this
magnitude; the fi rm was listed at the
time as being a small business with just
fi ve employees, and primarily focused
on residential real estate.
Of the six fi rms that entered bids to
reconstruct the Metropolitan Avenue/
Fresh Pond Road bridge, according to
DOT records, Mugrose entered the
lowest bid, with an estimated cost of just
over $14.8 million.
Mugrose has previously rebuilt
bridges in Monmouth and Cape May
counties in New Jersey — and those
projects were also beset by problems.
In 2012, Mugrose was reportedly
fi ned $1,000 per day for three weeks
because they missed the Memorial Day
deadline to complete reconstruction of
a Belmar, NJ, bridge. The Wall, NJ, Patch
reported that the Monmouth County
Public Works Department wound up
installing guardrails and putting the
fi nishing touches on the job.
Three years later, Mugrose was also
involved in the reconstruction of a bridge
in Sea Isle City; the project's completion
was delayed several weeks, according
to Philly.com, because crews encountered
extensive rusting on the superstructure
and other unsafe conditions.
Aft er securing the DOT contract for
the Metropolitan Avenue/Fresh Pond
Road bridge, Mugrose had been scheduled
to start work in early July of 2016.
Yet again, there were problems that led
to delays, several of which were out of
Mugrose's control. The fi rst delay occurred
because of setbacks in reviewing
and approving the design of the bridge.
Another delay occurred in October because,
as the Ridgewood Times reported,
the contractor was unable to secure the
appropriate permits for the work.
A DOT spokesperson told the Ridgewood
Times that the agency is "aware of
issues the contractor has encountered
during this contract, which include
requiring work out of sequence to
accommodate the MTA 'M' train emergency
and unanticipated fi eld conditions
under the bridge deck."
The department "is continuing to
work with the contractor to address
delays and complete the contract," the
spokesperson added.
The Ridgewood Times reached out to
Mugrose Construction for a comment
but did not receive a response as of
press time.
Meanwhile, as the bridge project
dawdles, it appears the MTA is moving
full steam ahead toward completing reconstruction
of the M line. It's currently
rebuilding the Bushwick viaduct connecting
the Myrtle Avenue line to the J/Z
line above Broadway.
"The work is on schedule," said an MTA
spokesperson, who told the Ridgewood
Times that "demolition of the viaduct
is complete and next is installation of
the concrete pedestals and structural
steel." The line should be restored to full
strength by April.
File photo
The railroad bridge at Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road, as
shown prior to construction.
New supermarket opening at defunct Maspeth pharmacy site
BY HANNAH FRISHBERG
EDITORIAL@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
A supermarket will be moving
into the former Duane Reade
pharmacy at 66-56 Grand Ave.
in Maspeth.
There is a Key Food down the
block at 66-17 Grand Ave., and it will
be retaining this location despite the
arrival of a new supermarket, a store
employee told the Ridgewood Times.
The market is slated to open as
early as January or February 2018,
the employee said, depending on how
fast construction goes.
Locals took to Facebook late last
week to report that the for rent sign
in the shuttered Duane Reade had
been removed, with work permits
posted in its place. Speculation
among residents on Facebook is that
the new supermarket would be a
second Key Food location.
Applications for construction on
the closed pharmacy were approved
in October and earlier this month, according
to Department of Buildings
permits.
The single-story structure will not
be expanded, merely altered, with
mainly mechanical and plumbing-related
changes. No work is currently
scheduled for the existing Grand
Avenue Key Food.
The new supermarket will be less
than a block from the Grand Avenue
Key Food.
Despite one employee confi dently
confirming that the new supermarket
would be another Key Food
Photo via Google Maps
location this morning, upon calling
back to question why Key Food
would open two branches so close to
each other, a store manager called
the confirmation “baloney.” The
store manager said the grocery is
unsure if the new location will be
a Key Food and was unwilling to
confi rm any information.
Diff erent Key Food store employees
reached yesterday were also
unclear on details, confi rming only
that the former pharmacy would become
a grocery, but that they were
unsure which supermarket would
move in.
At 31,796 square feet, the new location
will be more than double the
size of the nearby Key Food, which
measures in at just 12,035 square feet,
according to PropertyShark.
