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Renovations for West 215th Step-Street To Begin In December

By Nigel Chiwaya | October 14, 2013 12:57pm | Updated on October 16, 2013 2:09pm
  Construction will commence once the project's contractor obtains a field office and permits.  
  
West 215th Step-Street Renovations to Begin in December
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INWOOD — The long-awaited renovation of the West 215th step-street will commence in December, city officials said.

Repairs for the steps, which were contracted out in the summer, will begin once project's contractor finishes setting up shop in the area and acquiring work permits from the city, Department of Design and Construction spokesman Craig Chin told DNAinfo New York in an email.

"The contract has begun and the contractor is currently working on obtaining a field office and getting the necessary permits to begin work," Chin wrote. "Residents can expect to see construction work on the step streets around December."

The project's contractor, Queens-based Acme Skillman Concrete Co., was awarded a $2.5 million contract over the summer to repair the aging steps, which connect Broadway and Park Terrace East at West 215th Street. Residents and politicians have been asking for repairs to the steps — which are cracked, and have lighting and drainage problems — since 1999.

The repairs will entail completely rebuilding the steps, adding new lighting, bike channels, benches and drainage systems. The entire project is estimated to last 17 months, although the DDC has previously promised that pedestrians will still be able to use the steps during all phases of construction.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story said that the start date for repairs had been pushed back from September to December. DDC officials have since clarified that the project began in September and that the contractor's search for a field office and work permits is considered part of the renovation process.