New Phase In Empire Blvd Project To Bring Water Shut-Offs, Street Work

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A years-long renovation project on Empire Boulevard is moving to a new phase this summer, bringing a new round of water disruptions and construction noise to the neighborhood.

The Empire Boulevard redesign — which is set to wrap up at the end of the year — will tackle street upgrades and its final water main replacement this summer, according to a construction schedule for the new phase, which started July 1.

The project will mean work along several new intersections on either side of the neighborhood.

On the western side, crews will replace their final water main on Washington Avenue between Empire Boulevard and Sullivan Place.

The replacement will likely create service interruptions, though it is unclear how often, according to a notice shared with Community Board 9. Advanced notice will be given for the disruptions.

The western end of Empire Boulevard, near Prospect Park, will also get curb, sidewalk, roadway and bus pad restorations during this phase of construction.

On the eastern side, near Utica Avenue, crews will tackle pedestrian green streets. The work will impact the Utica Avenue and Remsen Avenue intersection and where Empire Boulevard meets Franklin Avenue and Schenectady Avenue, according to the notice.

The Empire Boulevard redesign was first announced in 2015 and aims to improve pedestrian safety near Washington and Franklin avenues and an intersection near Utica and East New York avenues, according to the project.

The scheduled end date, November 2022, comes after officials extended the original estimated completion date by a year this spring.

The safety upgrade comes after nearly 500 people were injured near the two intersections between 2009 and 2013, ranking Empire Boulevard in the top 10 percent of dangerous Brooklyn corridors, according to a presentation at the time.

Construction crews are putting in slip lane closures, wider sidewalks, shorter pedestrian crossings and new public space to help with the safety issues. The project will also improve signal timing at Utica Avenue and create a block of two-way traffic on East New York Avenue, according to the plans.