Welcome to Johnson Avenue Con Edison

As if the merchants on Johnson Avenue aren't struggling enough with the high rents and the poor economy Con Edison wants to add to the their despair. As you see in the photo on the left Johnson Avenue between West 235th & West 236th Street is being sliced so workers can open a foot and a half wide trench to put in high pressured gas lines as part of the Con Edison "Oil to Gas conversion" of apartment buildings that surround the Johnson Avenue shopping area. 

  This is what Johnson Avenue above West 236th Street looks like as workers were in, next to, and around the open trench near the middle of the street. Yes there is no parking allowed at the curb so that the workers an do their job while the construction is ongoing. Don't forget those slippery and pointy metal plates cover the work area when no work is going on, and that is often.

  Below on the left you can see how the cut is on an angle as it is thought on how the old gas pipe is aligned under the street.

  On the right you can see the markings that go down the full length of Johnson Avenue. Note how bad the previous  covering of construction work by and under the white car has left the roadway. Don't forget there will be no parking on this side of the street for about as long as it takes for Con Edison to do the work.

Con Edison What is Taking so Long?

  Imagine driving down a street on a bright reflective winter day and coming upon this scene right in front of you. The street is West 239th Street between Blackstone And Independence Avenues. This is no side street, but one of the three main roads that lead across the Henry Hudson Parkway. 

  Con Edison dug up this street as part of its "oil to gas conversion" two weeks before Thanksgiving. Chanukah, Christmas, and the New Year have all passed with the third week of January upon us. Con Edison has said that the work would be done all before the new year, and a few other things such as "we don't have to tell you anything where or when we dig, and for how long". Street work like this should last no more than two to four weeks at a location. However since Con Edison has an outside contractor doing the work, and only doing spot check ups on their contractors - This is exactly what happens.

With the onset of snow and snowplows going up and down streets to clear the snow two things happen when they come upon the many, many, many, metal plates Con Edison has left on the streets. One is that snow plows hit these metal plates and move them (as in the photos to the left), or two the plows just don't plow over them leaving the metal plates an accident waiting to happen when either a person or car slides on them.

Below are photos after workers came back to this street not to finish the work, but just move the metal plates back over the opening.

  My guess is that in the past when Con Edison did this work and quickly fixed the street that problems occurred such as leaking gas vapors at PS 81 and other sites shortly afterwards. Con Edison must not want to fix the street completely if they are going to have to dig it up again due to the shoddy work of their contractors. Below are photos after the metal plates were moved back in place here.

 

As you see in the photo on the right - these metal plates are in the middle of the street.

UPDATE Con Edison "Dig They Must"

  Here is an update with new photos of Con Edison's Gas Conversion work in Community Board 8. If you live on Cruger and Lydig Avenues, Creston Avenue by East 196th Street, and almost anywhere else there are apartment buildings that are converting from oil to gas for heating fuel Con Edison will be ripping up the streets in or around those new gas customers. 

  Note on the first two long photos there are still no notices anywhere.

 This was Con Ed during last week at the corner of West 238th Street and Fieldston Road.

 Here you can see that the Con Edison contractor has set up a tent because the construction area is so large on the corner of West 238th Street and Greystone Avenue. The stores on the street are down from 10% - 40%, as one owner says "The people can't get to my store".

  This photo shows the rock that is below this street that has to be removed.

The same section with the new high pressure gas pipe.

This is the scene at a different location started after the Community Board 8 Traffic & Transportation meeting with Con Edison. Note that there are plenty of signs warning of the upcoming construction. 

Here once construction has started metal plates are put over the opening in the roadway as soon as the work moves on.

CON ED MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO PREVENT POWER OUTAGES AND FAILING LINES AT KOPPELL’S REQUEST

  Con Edison is currently installing 51 high grade utility poles that can withstand 110 mph and will have switching equipment to prevent future power outages and falling lines, as requested by Council Member Oliver Koppell.  

Because of the severe power outages experienced by people in the community during Hurricane Sandy, Koppell held a series of meetings with Con Ed representatives to explore ways to improve the reliability of the greater Riverdale power grid during inclement weather. 

Subsequent to the meetings, Con Ed revealed its plan to cut the Riverdale Loop, comprised of 7.3 miles of service, into two smaller loops, which will shield each section from events that occur in the other area, making each section more reliable and resulting in quicker restorations.

By the end of December, Con Ed will have completed installing the new poles throughout the Riverdale area and in parts of Kingsbridge. Once the poles are installed, Con Ed expects to make the switch off during the first quarter of 2014. The Riverdale Loop, where everything in Riverdale is connected, will now be split into two separate loops with a Riverdale Loop and a Palisade Loop.       

“I am still hopeful that Con Ed will find a way to bury the exposed power lines, which are the cause of many storm-related outages. However, since we are being told that future storms are inevitable, I am pleased that the changes Con Edison is currently making will reduce the number of power malfunctions in the community,” Koppell said.

Editor Note - How about the mess that Con Edison or should I say their contractor has done to West 238th Street only three blocks away from Councilman Koppell's district office on the high pressure gas line installation. People have been told by the contractor " What do you want, this is the Bronx". Also go into any nearby business and see what this has done to their business.

Con Edison - "Dig They Must"

  On Wednesday November 13th Con Edison started construction on a high pressure gas line to replace a 100+ years old gas line on West 238th Street in Riverdale. What should have been a three day construction project ending on Friday (as I was told) has lasted into the weekend and will not be done for at least another 4 or 5 days. Of course Con Edison has hired a contractor since it would be to costly to Con Ed to have their own workers do the work. 

  Having been on the scene several days and taking many photos of what has gone on I can not believe the lack of concern on Con Edison's part. The contractor for Con Ed has closed the street to any metered parking on both sides of West 238th Street between Riverdale Avenue and Greystone Avenue. West 238th Street has been closed during the day to southbound traffic from Riverdale Avenue. As you will see in the photos below huge gas piping is strewn on the side of the road, on the sidewalk, and even resting on the city street light poles. Northbound West 238th Street finally was closed at Greystone Avenue after the contractor was detouring vehicles  into Fieldston Road (a one way street) against traffic.

  Dozens of vital parking spots to the merchants on Riverdale Avenue, and nighttime parking spaces to the community, not to mention the dollars that are being lost to the city as these metered spaces can not be used. The roadbed will also have to be repaved as the patchwork done by Con Ed will soon become loose causing potholes and exposing the heads of the gas mains to the plows of the sanitation trucks. All this and no notification to the residents and merchants of the area affected by this construction work as to when it would start, how long it would last, and when it would end. This matter will be taken up at the Community Board 8 Joint Traffic & Transportation/ Environment & Sanitation committees meeting on Tuesday Night - 7:30 PM at the Riverdale Y located on at 5625 Arlington Avenue off West 256th Street.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

 

Left - This is what greeted you as you tried to make a left turn onto West 238th Street from Riverdale Avenue.

Right - The trench dug by Con Ed on West 238th Street.

 

Left - In the daylight.

Right - In the dark at night.

 

Left - More piping and other equipment.

Right - The roadbed will never be the same as chunks of the upper base are now missing to be filled in by tar that will leave potholes in a few months.

 

Left - A view from across the street.

Right - A view looking down the street showing the piping on the sidewalk. I don't remember those cracks in the sidewalk at the base of the street light.

 

Left - High pressure gas line with main, but why was this section marked Valentine Avenue put on Riverdale Avenue?

Right - Work done by Con Edison on West 238th Street and Waldo Avenue 6 - 8 months ago for a high pressure gas conversion at the Manhattan College Dorm there. Is this what the entire streech of West 238th Street from Riverdale Avenue to Waldo Avenue will look like?