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East Houston Street Construction To Finish in the Summer, Officials Say

By Allegra Hobbs | January 17, 2017 5:27pm
 The construction on East Houston Street has been going on for years, and is expected to continue into the summer of 2017.
The construction on East Houston Street has been going on for years, and is expected to continue into the summer of 2017.
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DNAinfo/Allegra Hobbs

LOWER EAST SIDE — After more than six years, the long-delayed East Houston Street construction project is slated to wrap up this summer, according to city officials.

The Department of Design and Construction is now in the final stretch of the years-long overhaul of the thoroughfare as workers prepare for the installation of a new water main near the Bowery intersection and the construction of a pedestrian island at Second Avenue, according to a DDC spokeswoman.

Officials initially anticipated a spring completion date for the work, but the department ran into delays due to interference with existing underground wiring while preparing to install the 20-inch water main west of Chrystie Street.

Workers have begun excavating the intersection in preparation for the final installation, according to the DDC's weekly construction bulletin, and the job should wrap up by summer.

The department is also constructing a pedestrian "safety island" at Second Avenue, according to a city newsletter.

While the construction work is expected to be done by the summer, landscaping may take longer due to seasonal changes, according to a DDC spokeswoman.

In fall 2016, the department completed the final re-paving of a busy commercial corridor between Orchard and Chrystie Streets — a stretch of the project that extends from the Bowery to the FDR Drive. Business owners along that corridor complained the noise and debris from the ongoing construction was chipping away at their customer base.

The city first began the extensive revamp in 2010 to rebuild the road surface, replace water mains and sewers, and install new curbs, sidewalks and traffic lights.

It was initially scheduled to wrap up in 2013, but has been continually delayed as the city ran into problems with existing underground wiring and pipes.