Hendrickson Avenue set for repaving

Drivers heading through the north end of the village near Memorial Junior High School are going to have to plan alternate travel routes next week. A very bumpy section of Hendrickson Avenue will be repaved, leaving motorists with a few days of inconvenience followed by what Valley Stream officials hope will be years of smooth driving.

The work is scheduled to take place during the week of Aug. 26, on Monday and Tuesday. The paving will take place from just east of Grant Drive West, to the intersection of Hendrickson and Fletcher avenues. Curbs and driveway aprons have already been replaced.

Road closures will take place from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on construction days. Hendrickson Avenue will be closed from Corona to East Avenues; Fletcher Avenue will be closed north of Kent Road; and Henry Street will be shut down from Birchwood Drive to Hendrickson Avenue. Roads will remain open only for local residents.

Access to and from the Southern State Parkway at Exit 14 will be limited. Motorists exiting the parkway will be detoured onto Birchwood Drive and let out onto Hendrickson Avenue further west.

The work, which includes grinding up the old road and laying down two coats of new blacktop, will be performed by Intercounty Paving, which will also be repaving parts of State and East Maujer streets next week. The project is being funded through the village’s capital budget.

Mayor Ed Fare said it is important that the work is completed before school opens in early September. The entrance for Memorial Junior High School’s main parking lot is on Hendrickson Avenue.

Fare said the police and fire departments have been notified of the construction to plan detours. Once the paving starts, Fare said it is expected to take two or three days to complete, weather permitting. “It’s going to be a dicey few days over there,” he said.