Thursday, March 16, 2017

Kew Gardens road construction project takes over public park

From DNA Info:

A large chunk of Maple Grove Park was suddenly transformed into a parking lot for the Queens District Attorney's Office — with no timetable for when it might be restored, and neither city nor state officials saying who signed off on the decision.

For the past six years, the state Department of Transportation has had the right of way to use a lot near the 1.5-acre park tucked between Queens Boulevard, Hoover Avenue and the Van Wyck Expressway as a staging area while the agency works on the lengthy Kew Gardens Interchange project, according to DOT spokeswoman Diane Park.

The project seeks to widen the highway and rebuild its bridges and ramps between Union Turnpike and Hillside Avenue.

But recently, a portion of the green space was paved over to accommodate a second parking lot located between the staging area and the park's seating area, locals said.

A spokeswoman for the Queens District Attorney’s office, Meris Campbell, said the new parking lot is currently being used by DA's staff. She noted the lot was built by the construction company working on the Interchange project, ECCO III Enterprises, Inc., but couldn't say which city agency gave permission to build it.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why can't the DA's office use mass transit? Isn't that what the Mayor wants the rest of us swine to do?

Anonymous said...

I don't get free parking where I work, do you?

(sarc) said...

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
― George Orwell, Animal Farm

I imagine the employees of the District Attorney’s office are very especially equal.

So much for a concept of equal application of the law...

Anonymous said...

What does the Queens Boro President have to say about this? This can't be good for Queens nor good for families.