FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com JUNE 4, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 3 Jackie Robinson Parkway shutdowns begin BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@queenscourier.com @robbpoz Closures on portions of the Jackie Robinson Parkway began on the night of June 1 as the state Department of Transportation (DOT) starts to resurface the fivemile long and winding road between Kew Gardens and Brooklyn. The work began on the eastbound side from the parkway’s Brooklyn terminus at the corner of Jamaica and Pennsylvania avenues to the Cypress Hills Street exit. As reported in the Ridgewood Times, the project will be performed in segments, with the eastbound side completed first. The $17 million project is expected to be finished in mid-August, barring any weather-related delays. Much of the work will be done during weeknight hours from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. the next morning, but portions of the parkway will be shut down entirely on six weekends, from 11 p.m. Friday to 5:30 a.m. the following Monday. The first two weekend closures will occur on June 5 through 8 and June 12 through 15. Drivers will be diverted through marked detour routes passing through neighboring Brooklyn, Ridgewood, Glendale, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Forest Hills and Kew Gardens. During the project, crews from Tully Construction Company of Flushing — working on behalf of the state DOT — will remove the existing asphalt pavement and repair the concrete roadbed, then apply new asphalt and re-stripe the roadway with new lane markings. Various traffic safety devices, from reflectors to new signage, will also be installed. “The Jackie Robinson Parkway is a critical connector between Brooklyn and Queens, carrying thousands of commuters each day and supporting the local economy,” state Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald said in a statement. “This project will give more than 82,000 motorists who use the parkway each day a smoother, safer ride.” “Motorists who use the Jackie Robinson Parkway can look forward to a better road experience thanks to this paving project and infrastructure enhancement,” added Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, who thanked the DOT and Governor Andrew Cuomo “for making the improvement of the parkway a priority.” Drivers are reminded to travel safely and slowly through work zones; by law, speeding fines are doubled in work zones, and convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone may result in a driver’s license suspension. Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Jim Henderson The state Department of Transportation is starting a $17 million repaving of the Jackie Robinson Parkway. Richmond Hill firehouse celebrates 100th anniversary Photo courtesy of FDNY Engine Company 294 and Ladder Company 143 in Richmond Hill Wednesday celebrated the firehouse’s 100th anniversary. BY ANGELA MATUA editorial@queenscourier.com/@AngelaMatua Fire Department brass gathered at the headquarters of Engine Company 294 and Ladder Company 143 in Richmond Hill Wednesday to celebrate the firehouse’s 100th anniversary. The firehouse opened in 1915 when the FDNY decided to expand to all five boroughs. “The people who live in this community care for our department deeply and their admiration drives us all to be better every single day,” Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said. Past and present firefighters stationed at this house, which primarily serves Richmond Hill, have been recognized at the site for individual acts of valor. Mark Janesky from Engine 249 and Arthur Shaw from Ladder 143 received the house’s first medals in 1922 when they rescued people trapped in a fire on Atlantic Avenue. At the ceremony, two firefighters from Engine 249 who died in the line of duty were honored with a plaque. Members discovered that Firefighter Arnold Hafner, who died in 1955, and Robert Denney, who died in 1960, did not have their own plaques in the firehouse, but now their names will join three lieutenants who sacrificed their lives to help others. “We remember their names always on the walls of this house,” Chief of Department James Leonard said. “It’s important to remember them today especially because their memory inspires us.” Captains James Raymond of Engine Company 294 and William McCarthy of Ladder Company 143 congratulated the current members for their service and their efforts to celebrate the history of the firehouse. “Our traditions must be carried on to all those that come after us,” McCarthy said.
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