36 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 17, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Biden funds fi rst phase of hurricane risk reduction in Howard Beach
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
With the Atlantic Hurricane Season
underway, Congressman Hakeem Jeff ries
joined community leaders in Howard
Beach to announce that the Biden administration
Photo courtesy of Jeff ries’ offi ce
Congressman Hakeem Jeff ries announced funding for ecosystem restoration and hurricane risk
reduction in Howard Beach.
Meng secures funding for infrastructure projects across Queens
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Congresswoman Grace Meng
announced on Wednesday, June 9, that
she secured nearly $20 million in a key
transportation and infrastructure bill to
upgrade the Forest Hills Long Island Rail
Road (LIRR) station, create vehicle charging
stations in Flushing and Bayside, and
replace medians in Oakland Gardens that
are in need of repair.
Th e funding was included in the
INVEST in America Act, a transformative
fi ve-year, $547 billion surface transportation
reauthorization bill. Th e measure
is expected to be passed later this
aft ernoon by the House Transportation
and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee. It
is then expected to soon be passed by the
full House of Representatives.
Meng said she is thrilled to secure funding
for these crucial initiatives in the
INVEST in America Act, and is looking
forward to the legislation being approved
by the House in the coming weeks.
“Queens must not be forgotten about
as we invest in our infrastructure,” Meng
said. “Restoring and expanding our borough’s
transportation system is critical to
meeting the growing needs of Queens,
and these projects would improve
the safety of local residents
while making it easier and
more convenient to
travel.”
According to Meng,
the projects would
also strengthen economic
growth,
save money and
enhance qualityof
life for many
constituents.
Under the project for the Forest Hills
LIRR station, located at 71st Avenue
and Austin Street, nearly $17 million
($16,910,000) would be used to address
repair needs including the replacement
of deteriorated platforms. Th e project
would also provide those
with disabilities full access to
the station, making it compliant
with the Americans
with Disabilities Act. Th ese
accessibility improvements
include new elevators
and an extension of
the platform length to 12
cars, along with other station
upgrades.
Funding for the
vehicle charging stations
in Flushing and
Bayside includes
$734,400 for a Level 2 Electric Charging
Network in New York City Department
of Transportation (NYC DOT) municipal
parking facilities. Specifi cally, the money
would be used to install electric vehicle
charging stations in three municipal
parking lots:
• Flushing #2 parking fi eld at 135-23 39th
Ave. in Flushing
• Flushing #4 parking fi eld at 134
Northern Blvd. in Flushing
• Bayside parking fi eld at 214-32 41st Ave.
in Bayside
Th e level 2 chargers provide about 7kW
of power per hour. Th is would add about
25 miles of range to a typical sedan for
each hour it is plugged in. Under the
median restoration initiative in Oakland
Gardens, $2,355,200 would be provided
to restore the center medians on Union
Turnpike from Hollis Court Boulevard
to 226th Street to a state of good repair.
Th e current medians are in disrepair and
need to be reconstructed. Th e project
will also make accessibility and geometric
improvements where needed.
Read more on PoliticsNY.com.
provided the necessary funding
for a feasibility study for ecosystem restoration
and hurricane and storm damage risk
reduction for Spring Creek and Howard
Beach.
“Th e Howard Beach community faces
fl ooding during both minor and major
storms. Compounding the risk of fl ooding,
the area is highly degraded with invasive
plant species that pose a fi re risk,” Jeff ries
said. “Like all of New York, Howard Beach
is resilient, but we owe it to them to do better
and to address the issues at the core of
the matter. So I am very pleased that aft er
working closely with the Army Corps of
Engineers, the Biden administration has
provided $500,000 for this resiliency project.
With this funding, we take the fi rst step
in ensuring that the shoreline neighborhoods
in Queens have the resources needed
to investigate ecological and coastal storm
risk management measures.”
Th e project represents the fi rst phase of a
resiliency project in Queens with the funding
past of the 2022 budget.
“Nearly a decade later, Queens is still reeling
from Superstorm Sandy’s aft ermath, and
we still need as much support as possible,”
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards said. “Congressman Jeff ries’ funding
will bring much-needed relief to Spring
Creek South and Howard Beach, and I thank
the congressman for allocating these funds
to our communities. Together, we can work
to ensure our borough recovers.”
Howard Beach and low-lying communities
around Jamaica Bay and the Rockaways
were devastated when the storm slammed
into southern Queens in 2012. Large portions
of the city were severely impacted
and Sandy killed more than 280 people in
the Northeast. It caused more than $70 billion
in damage, making it one of the costliest
natural disasters in United States history.
“Th e funding secured towards expediting
the feasibility study for ecosystem restoration
and hurricane and storm damage
risk reduction for Spring Creek South
and Howard Beach in the Biden administration’s
budget is incredible and much
welcomed news,” Assemblywoman
Stacey Pheff er Amato said. “Every hurricane
season increases the odds of a disaster.
We need these resiliency measures as
soon as possible, and this is the very fi rst
step on the path to resiliency. I want to
thank Congressman Jeff ries for his leadership,
and for fi ercely advocating for our
community.”
Th e group assembled on the edge of
Jamaica Bay on Cross Bay Boulevard that
was virtually submerged when Sandy
pushed a 10-foot storm surge into the
neighborhood.
“Virtually every home in a two-plussquare
mile area of Community District
10 was inundated by tidal fl ood waters, and
every family in this low-lying New York
City coastal community of mostly one- and
two-family homes were negatively impacted,”
Community Board 10 Chair Betty
Braton said. “Th e funding Congressman
Jeff ries secured for this study will be another
step forward toward accomplishing an
infrastructure system of critically needed
resiliency projects that protect both our
Howard Beach homes and provides for
a sustainable ecosystem along the coastline
here.”
Th e study will build on work that has
already been completed to provide timely
and well-considered recommendations for
providing ecological benefi ts and reducing
the risk of storm damage.
Photo courtesy of Rep. Grace Meng’s offi ce
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