Con Ed Work Planned In Advance Of Upcoming Sewer Project

You know how occasionally during a really heavy downpour parts of the area near 4th Avenue flood in a serious way? Well it looks like the Department of Environmental Protection’s $9.4 million project to help alleviate the pressure on the storm sewer system is gearing up at last.

Community Board 6 shares a letter from Con Edison announcing work the utility company will have to do to relocate some of its underground infrastructure in preparation for the city’s work on the storm sewers, manholes, and catch basins.

Excavation and equipment relocation will begin in April in the areas highlighted on the map above — between Douglass at the north and 1st Street at the south, and the Gowanus Canal at the west and 4th Avenue at the east. Expect heavy equipment in the streets, and temporary protective structures to go up in some places.

“Crews will barricade the work area and try to minimize traffic and noise impacts as much as possible,” the letter reads.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Con Ed work, contact them at 718-802-5671 or BrooklynPA@coned.com.

As for the DEP, they’ve been working on a number of projects to help improve the health and cleanliness of the Gowanus Canal recently — a couple months ago they reactivated the flushing tunnel, and the next step is to install separate storm sewer pipes, or high-level storm sewers, along 3rd Avenue.

A process that’s been years in the making, it can’t come soon enough for businesses and homeowners in the area, many of whom have seen devastating damage from flooding over the past several years.

“They say we just have to deal with it until after the construction, and once the work is done it should hopefully be fixed,” said Joann Amitrano, who owns the building that houses Root Hill Cafe, following a flood in May of last year. “But if it floods after all of the construction, that’s it — we’re done. It’s one of those things where you just hope and hope, but you’ll believe it when you see it.”