Bronx Park East Community Association Pelham Parkway Construction Meeting

 

This meeting came about as one of the leaders of the Bronx Park East Community Association, Ms. Diana Finch was a member of the former Pelham Parkway Task Force that was disbanded by Community Board 11 in early 2021. The District Service Cabinet meeting minutes in April show that the District Manager said that there were many questions asking the consultant on the massive project if the Task Force should be reinstated. The consultant answered. no there is no need for a task force, that she would answer all questions, and meet with neighborhood organizations if they wanted more information. 

Wednesday night Ms. Joanna Rojas the consultant on the Pelham Parkway reconstruction, water distribution and sewer replacement project addressed the sparsely attended BPECA meeting that was held in PS 96. Ms. Finch directed a few questions at Ms. Rojas, which were only about the Boston Road area in BPECA, and then it was open to questions from the audience, where Ms. Rojas mentioned that the lowest bidder is selected for the project, and that the DDC had no knowledge that Con Edison was going to put a thirty inch gas line across the Pelham Parkway cutting a six foot gap in the newly reconstructed parkway foundation. 

The truth of how a contractor is chosen, is that low bidders are looked at, that a ten percent bond of the total cost must be put up by the contractor, and that three examples of similar projects must be provided for the DDC to assess the work quality. Cost overrun will also drive up a winning bid as the project is being done as is the case on the Pelham Parkway project. Ms. Rojas was wrong about not knowing that Con Edison was going to cut through the parkway if it was to be reconstructed before the anticipated gas line from the Mount Vernon city line to Hunts Point was put in first. In fact the DDC said that there was a short window of opportunity to lay the new parkway foundation, or it would have to be delayed until next year. 

It was also mentioned that the Department of Investigation has been asked to investigate why there is no community oversight through the proper city agency, the local community board. An investigation of why the project is costing so much, with many huge cost overruns, and construction that were not on the original plans. The DDC knew that Con Edison was going through the parkway with a thirty inch gas line and cutting a six foot gap in the concrete foundation leaving only sand underneath which shifts over time, and reconstructed the roadbed knowing what Con Edison was going to do. 

Ms. Finch welcomes those who came out to the meeting at PS 96.

Ms. Finch led the questioning of Ms. Rojas, the consultant on the project.

Ms. Rojas took questions from the audience.

One problem is the cracks in the asphalt and concrete sidewalk from all the drilling through the rock.

Here you can see how electric lines and other wires are tied together in the empty hole.

Then there is this storage area where trees once were at Pelham Parkway and Boston Road.