The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will host a public hearing to present information about a proposed project to rehabilitate the Major Deegan Expressway between 138th Street and Macombs Dam Bridge in Bronx County.

The public hearing will be held at Hostos Community College, 120 E. 149th St. in the Savoy Multi-Purpose Room on the 2nd floor. The hearing will begin at 4 p.m. and will conclude at 9 p.m. Two twenty-minute presentations of project information will be given, the first at 4:30 p.m. and the second at 7 p.m. During the remaining time, project staff and materials will be available for informal review and discussion, and public comments will be accepted in written and oral format throughout the hearing. A stenographer will be present to record oral comments.

Both presentations will present the same material, including a summary of the project, a review of the associated impacts, information on construction scheduling and the department’s right-of-way acquisition and relocation assistance programs.

The project will seek to rehabilitate the Major Deegan Expressway Viaduct, which is over 50 years old and has major structural elements, such as concrete pavement and steel support structures, that have deteriorated. While these elements do not pose an immediate safety concern for motorists, they will need to be repaired or replaced in the near future in order to extend the useful life of the facility for another 50 years. The project will also address safety and operational issues along this section of the Major Deegan by improving exit and entrance ramps, and providing auxiliary lanes and shoulders. Congestion along Exterior Street at the southbound 138th Street exit ramp will be alleviated by widening and relocating the ramp, and new lighting, sidewalks and landscaping will also be provided.

This project has been advanced in conjunction with efforts by New York City agencies to improve waterfront access, and it is compatible with the Lower Concourse re-zoning passed earlier this year. By addressing the aging infrastructure and traffic congestion, the project will enhance future development expected in this section of the Bronx and in New York City overall.

All interested persons will be given the opportunity to express their views concerning the proposed project. The proceedings will be recorded. Translation services for Spanish-language speakers will be provided. Persons may file written statements and other exhibits in place of or in addition to oral statements made at the public hearing. Written comments may be submitted after the hearing by mailing them to Mr. Syed Rahman, P.E., at the NYSDOT Region 11 Office, 47-40 21st St., Long Island City, NY, 11101. All comments must be received by November 23, 2009, in order to be included as part of the hearing record.

Persons wishing to speak may register in advance by contacting Mr. Rahman by phone at (718) 482-4693, by fax at (718) 482-6319, or by e-mail at srahman@dot.state.ny.us. Requests will be honored in the order in which they are received. Persons who have not pre-registered may sign up to speak at the hearing. They will be called upon in the order in which they have signed up. Each speaker will be allotted five minutes to speak. If a speaker requires a Sign Language interpreter, assistive listening system or translator, or any other accommodation to facilitate participation, they should contact Mr. Rahman as above.