The Bronx boasts an enormous wastewater treatment plant in Hunts Point. Soon the borough will also boast a gigantic water filtration plant, in Van Cortlandt Park. But Hunts Point and Van Cortlandt Park sit more than seven miles apart.
A city Department of Environmental Protection contractor will soon begin construction on a seven-mile long “force main” pipe to carry sandy residue from the Croton Water Filtration Plant to the Hunts Point Wastewater Treatment Plant for disposal. The task will take at least two years.
The pipe, six inches in diameter, will head south Bainbridge Avenue, E. 204th Street and Webster Avenue, turn east on E. 170th Street, head south on Third Avenue, turn east on E. 163rd Street, head south on Union Avenue, and proceed southeast on E. 160th Street, Longwood Avenue, Tiffany Street, Viele Avenue and Manida Street.
Construction on the pipe, scheduled to begin in late February or March, could disrupt business on some blocks, although only Bainbridge Avenue, E. 204th Street, north Webster Avenue and Longwood Avenue maintain many shops.
DEP worked with the office of Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., community boards and the Croton Facility Monitoring Committee to choose the route. Construction is scheduled to proceed north to south, block-by-block, and will involve no more than 250 feet of pavement on any single day, DEP spokesman Angel Roman said.
The DEP has agreed to limit construction to between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., although work will continue at night at some important intersections, such as the intersection of Webster Avenue and Fordham Road.
While at work on the pipe, the DEP contractor will keep one lane open to traffic on one-way streets and two lanes open to traffic on two-way streets, one in each direction. No sidewalk closures are expected. But construction will prohibit parking on one side of smaller roads such as E. 204th Street.
The contractor has promised to use construction mufflers as necessary, Roman said. The DEP plans to monitor the work for noise, he added. Residents and business owners may phone 311 for more information.
The DEP expects construction on the pipe to be done in 2012.
Reach reporter Daniel Beekman at 718 742-3383 or dbeekman@cnglocal.com
