Atlantic Av Viaduct Work Begins

[R62A 1991]

Atlantic Avenue Viaduct Project

$93.4 Million Project to be Done on Weekends to Minimize Impact on Train Customers and Brooklyn Neighborhoods

 

MTA Long Island Rail Road President Helena E. Williams announced that the Atlantic Avenue Viaduct, which carries LIRR customers between Jamaica and Downtown Brooklyn, is about to undergo a major rehabilitation.

 

The 16-month project is the first of a two-phase plan to overhaul the viaduct with the work to be conducted on weekends only.

 

“Our goal is to restore this much traveled and critical stretch of Railroad infrastructure to a state of good repair and extend the service life of the viaduct to ensure safe and reliable service to our customers and the public,” said Williams. “We will achieve this with an absolute minimum amount of inconvenience to riders and to the surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods.”

 

Work is scheduled to begin October 25, on the replacement of girders, beams and bracing as well as the upper portion of street columns supporting the structure. Built in 1901, the viaduct stretches about a mile and a half from Ralph Avenue to Nostrand Avenue, supported by 199 individual steel spans each of which are about 40 feet apart.

 

Phase I is scheduled for completion in January 2010 at a cost of $93.4 million. It will involve the replacement of 81 spans between Ralph Avenue and Troy Avenue and six spans between Kingston Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue. Work will progress east to west over approximately 36 weekends to minimize the impact on train travel and local street traffic. The LIRR will maintain normal train service throughout the project, at times operating on a single track.

 

In 2007, more than 25,000 customers traveled the line each weekday and another 16,000 on the weekend.

 

The project will require temporary street lane and intersection closures and traffic will be guided toward alternative routes to avoid construction areas. To ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists, the city’s Department of Transportation has agreed to provide Traffic Enforcement Agents at key locations as required.

 

Preparatory work will take place Monday through Friday. Demolition and replacement work will be done in 49-hour windows on weekends (including overnight) with tracks fully operable by Monday morning rush hour.

In addition to the replacement of the steel spans, new track will be installed along with new center and outer walkways. The viaduct will also receive a fresh coat of paint.

 

Posted from MTA LIRR Service Advisories

 

This is great news. I've only traveled on this viaduct once in my life, but have driven under it lots of times. It's scary without any walkways. But I'm glad they're fixing it.