ROCKAWAY PARK — The sinking road near Jamaica Bay that's been closed since December will be re-constructed by National Grid — and work may not finish until Memorial Day, according to elected officials.
The stretch of Beach Channel Drive between Beach 108th and Beach 113th streets was closed due to "road conditions" on New Year's Eve 2015, the Department of Transportation said.
While officials never said what the conditions were, the street was afflicted with bumps and large cracks, which had jarred drivers for years.
Last week the city said they still didn't know why the street was sinking, and were working with National Grid — who for decades ran a manufactured gas plant adjacent to the street — to find the problem.
On Friday afternoon, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder and City Councilman Eric Ulrich announced that National Grid would take over the repairs to the streets.
"Using ground penetrating radar and geo-technical testing, they will assess how shifting subsoil is causing the potholes and uneven road surfaces that prompted the city to close our vital roadway," Goldfeder posted online.
"They will also fill in the former underground coal tunnel at the site to prevent any further undermining of the street."
Repairs may go until Memorial Day, but could finish earlier, he said.
National Grid also agreed to build an esplanade with grass and benches along the roadway, Goldfeder said.
The now-empty lot along Beach Channel Drive was used between the 1870s and 1958 to create commercial gas, which contaminated the site, National Grid said.
They've been working for years with the state's Department of Environmental Conservation on mediation.
National Grid and the DOT did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
