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Mostly Cloudy County begins repairs on Corona Avenue
While Rockaway Avenue has been getting a lot of attention this week stemming from the Valley Stream Community Fest, another road has garnered a different type of attention as well. Corona Avenue is getting a facelift.
Depending on which way you look at it, a road getting milled and resurfaced could be better or worse than a road hosting a festival, but it’s not a competition.
Construction crews have been working on Corona Avenue since Sept. 24 and according to Nassau County Department of Public Works spokesman Mike Martino, the project should take “a couple of weeks,” depending on how the weather holds out.
The construction is taking place on Corona Avenue from the Southern State Parkway to Hendrickson Avenue, including a very bumpy stretch south of the fork with Rockaway Parkway. Residents who live in Valley Stream seem to have mixed feelings on the project.
“It’s about time they fixed the horrible job done in the first place,” said Vicki Calabro, who has lived in Valley Stream for nine years.
David Sabatino, who lives on Corona Avenue, said the street has been terrible for years. “I don’t mind the noise, inconvenience or smell of the construction,” he said, “but I do wish they considered addressing the speeding issue that exists and will definitely get worse with a new road surface.
“After a couple of years, the wavy road and current problems will come back,” he added, “until they invest a greater amount of money to address the issues below the road.”
While construction is going on, one lane or more are being shut down for crews to work, making drivers’ commutes a little slower. “During construction, of course, there will be some delays,” Martino said, “but nothing that’ll last too long or will be too impactful.”
Fourteen-year resident Maria Delgaudio Dolle said her normal 10 to 15 minute commute has turned into more than 50 minutes during the construction. “Why did they not do this over the summer when traffic was lighter and there were no school kids to contend with?” she said. “Yes the road definitely needed it, but it is pure insanity there now.”
Karen Kiefel shared a similar sentiment about doing the project during the school year. “Yes, the road definitely needed repair, but it makes no sense to me that they are doing it now,” she said. “This should have been done in the summer when there was no school. What a nightmare.”
Martino said that roads in Nassau County get fixed on a rotating schedule. “Eventually all roads get resurfaced,” he said. Martino added that the project is part of a much larger capital project and the work on Corona Avenue would cost less than $400,000.
Both the James A. Dever School and the District 13 administrative offices are located on Corona Avenue. Superintendent Dr. Adrienne Robb-Fund said the construction crews have been very accommodating by stopping construction at dismissal and arrival to make it easier for parents and students. “They’ve been very sensitive to the needs of the district,” she said. Also, she added, the noise is only a factor for a small portion of the day and doesn’t really impact the classes.
