Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg today announced the ahead-of-schedule completion of a resurfacing project along the 9.5-mile FDR Highway from Montgomery Street to 125th Street. The $8.5 million project kicked off in early July and will conclude this week. This is the first time since the FDR was completed in 1966 that it has been resurfaced end-to-end. Over 150,000 motorists travel the FDR each day and this investment is part of a larger $1.6 billion commitment the City has made over the next decade to resurface roads all over the city, with 2,500 lane miles to be resurfaced in the next 18 months.

Mayor de Blasio urged drivers to slow down and respect posted speed limits throughout the city, including in work zones where DOT personnel are resurfacing roadways. The penalty for speeding in a work zone is double a typical speeding ticket, with penalties that range from approximately $190 and $700. In addition, motorists who speed in a work zone face additional points on the driving record and administrative fees.

“The men and women on these crews have worked hard to get streets and highways like the FDR in better repair than they’ve been in decades. This is part of the biggest repaving effort in 25 years and it’s something New Yorkers are going to see and feel every day,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We owe it to these workers to keep them safe on the job. We need drivers to slow down across the whole city, including in our work zones.”

The complex FDR project, especially with its overnight hours, did not come without challenges. DOT, its Traffic Management Center and Emergency Response team coordinated with NYPD’s Highway Division on awareness for drivers, and DOT extensively broadcast the paving schedule and updates to the media and public. The FDR project underscores the importance of driving slowly and safely near work zones, to keep City workers safe and allow them perform their important duties.

DOT’s resurfacing and paving operation has already resurfaced 1,089 miles of roadway so far in 2015, and the agency’s crews have patched 433,609 potholes since January alone. Every borough will exceed last year’s total lane miles resurfaced by the end of this calendar year.

(YWN Desk – NYC)