By ANTHONY BOTTAN
Some commuters, eager to see the work completed, say they are fed up with the daily construction-created chaos during the morning and evening rush hours. "During the height of the Depression, it took 410 days, start to finish, to complete the building of the Empire State Building," said Mara Jacobowitz, a village resident and a commuter. "How much longer is it going to take to complete the Valley Stream train station's renovation? During evening rush hour, picking up passengers is a nightmare and is dangerous to motorists, and especially pedestrians."
Local commuter Joseph McLain, 27, said the construction has been an inconvenience, especially when certain stairwells have been blocked off.
Salvatore Arena, a spokesman for the Long Island Rail Road, said the construction at the station is 70 percent complete. The project, Arena explained, included the construction of a new ticket office, waiting room and public restrooms, the renovation of the existing waiting rooms and the addition of escalator enclosures. He noted that there will also be new lighting, a new public address system, a wheelchair-accessible ramp, new sidewalks and landscaping around the station plaza.
"At this point, as far as the platform levels go, they are all complete except for the elevator roof structure, which will be done in March," Arena said. "The new station building is 50 percent complete, and we had to make some adjustments to 'winterize' the site."
Arena said that delays in the delivery of structural steel set the construction back, and that this was the factor in setting construction back by 10 months.
Commuter Joe Martingano, 23, also of Valley Stream, said the recent construction has not affected his daily commute, but the lack of parking has been a problem. "The parking is horrible," Martingano said. "The construction really doesn't affect me, but without a permit, you can't park anywhere without getting a ticket."
Village Clerk Vinny Ang said that only about a dozen parking spots have been blocked off as a result of the work. Those spaces, all in the vicinity of the construction, will be re-opened when construction is done. Ang added that there is a 300-space lot a few blocks away from the station that is underutilized - thought it is a bit of a walk.
Ang said that construction workers have been working overtime on Saturdays to complete the project.
Mayor Ed Cahill said he was pleased with how the station is shaping out, and acknowledged that the harsh winter weather has slowed work on the site. "We had bad weather, which impeded us a bit, but it looks great," Cahill said. "They are moving along, and I think it will be a great addition to Valley Stream. We needed an upgrade."
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