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Water Main and Sewer Main Replacement Project

Published February 07, 2025

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24 min read

Water and sewer main replacement project impacts Park Place, Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues

RECENT UPDATES!
Schedule change - At a water & sewer project community update meeting on Nov 21, 2024, Resident Engineer Hadi Elhashash updated the attendees on the current status of the project. To the surprise of no one, but to the dismay of all attending, there will be a further delay in project completion. The sewer pipe replacement on Vanderbilt is now expected to be completed in March 2025 and the completion of the restoration phase and project completion is now expected to be in June 2025. Community Construction Liaison Shernell Pemberton sent out an "official" notification of the schedule change on Nov 27, 2024.

Work resumption - At a water & sewer project community update meeting on Aug 20, 2024, Community Construction Liaison Shernell Pemberton delivered some good news: the issue of how to protect the live MTA electrical cable - which has halted progress on the project since April - has been resolved. The contractor and the MTA agreed on a protection plan.

The contractor began re-mobilizing resources on Sep 3rd, and construction resumed on Sep 9th.

Ms. Pemberton stated that the remaining work, including restoration, is expected to take approximately 3 months, which would lead to project completion (barring additional delays) by year end 2024.

Project work stoppage - As of Apr 25, 2024, work on the project was halted due to discovery of a live electrical cable on the west side of Vanderbilt Avenue obstructing the trench where the new sewer main is to be installed. A remediation and safety plan is now being worked out to relocate or isolate the cable so that excavation and construction work can safely continue. It is estimated that the project will be delayed by two months or more.

Restoration requests - At the Jan 17, 2024 block association meeting, the project's Community Construction Liaison, Shernell Pemberton, requested that residents who have experienced damage to their property as a result of the project, or have noticed damage related to the project elsewhere on the impacted streets, send an email to her detailing the items to be restored to their pre-project condition as part of the upcoming restoration phase of the project. Email Shernell at Parkplccl@gmail.com and include photos if applicable.

Description
From April 2021 until approximately June 2025, a project to replace the water main and combined sewer main is taking place on Park Place from Carlton Avenue to Underhill Avenue, and on Vanderbilt Avenue from Park Place to Sterling Place, and on Underhill Avenue from Park Place to Sterling Place.

Purpose
The purpose of the project is to improve water distribution, alleviate street flooding and alleviate sewer backups. The project will entail significant street excavation and will disrupt traffic and parking.

Project Schedule
The dates below represent the schedule as verbally communicated by Resident Engineer Hadi Elhashash during a community meeting on Nov 21, 2024. A published schedule titled "Project Schedule Change" was added to the document repository below as of Nov 27, 2024.

  • Nov 15, 2024 through Jan 02, 2025: Embargo on construction work on Vanderbilt Avenue, per the Department of Transportation rules. A waiver was sought but denied.
  • Jan 2025 through Mar 2025: Completion of replacement of the sewer main on Vanderbilt Avenue from Sterling Place to Park Place, and connection of the new sewer lines across the intersection of Park Place and Vanderbilt Avenue.
  • Apr 2025 - Jun 2025: Final restoration

Community Construction Liaison
The NYC Department of Design and Construction assigns a Community Construction Liaison ("CCL"), to projects such as this one which impacts the community. The current CCL is Shernell Pemberton, and you can find her contact information below.

A previous CCL on the project, Ahmed Elhashash, attended the May 19, 2021 PPUABA meeting, gave a short presentation and answered our questions. Additionally, Hadi Elhashash, the project's chief engineer, attended the Sep 22, 2021 block association meeting. The Sep 21, 2022 PPUABA monthly meeting included a detailed recap of a meeting with community residents attended by Shernell Pemberton and Hadi Elhashash, which occurred on Sep 20, 2022 on Park Place. You can listen to Ahmed's and Hadi's presentations, and read the minutes of the Sep 21, 2022 PPUABA monthly meeting by clicking on the links to the respective audio clips and minutes on the PPUABA Meeting Minutes page.

You can reach the CCL using the contact information below.

Shernell Pemberton, Community Construction Liaison (CCL)
NYC Department of Design and Construction
Project # SEK002386
250 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Office: 646-908-2131
Mobile: 347-579-6087
Email: Parkplccl@gmail.com

Photos
Scroll to the bottom of this page for some photos of the construction work.

Project-related documents
Below are links to project-related documents, with the most recent on top.

To see project related documents from 2023, 2022 and 2021, please click here.

Photo gallery
Below is a selection of photos of work in progress on Park Place between Vanderbilt and Underhill Avenues.

The enormous drill, used to dig holes into which steel support beams are then lowered, is on the left. On the right, one of the beams being hoisted into position.
sewer project - drill and hoisting beam

Closeup of the drill in action.
sewer project - drill

The drill and mechanical shovel. Kids (of all ages) from all over the neighborhood love to watch these huge machines at work!
sewer project - drill and shovel

A view down into the trench, where the new concrete sewer main has been installed, 17 feet below the roadway. On the right, a house sewer line (orange terra cotta pipe) which has been connected to the main. On the left, a house sewer line not yet connected to the main.
sewer project - new sewer line 01

Once installed and after the house sewer lines are connected to the sewer main, the sewer main and house connections are covered in concrete.
sewer project - new sewer line 02

A view of a completed section of new sewer line, encased in concrete.
sewer project - new sewer line 03 encased in concrete

Here's another view, taken in front of 301 Park Pl on Dec 11, looking west toward Vanderbilt Avenue (photo credit: Ed Regan).
Photo taken in front of 301 Park 2022-12-11 Ed Regan

Delivery of pipe for the new water main on Park Place between Vanderbilt and Underhill.
delivery of new water main On the day before Thanksgiving 2022, the hard-working crew knocked off work a bit early to enjoy a pre-Thanksgiving meal together, al fresco, using a pallet of lumber as a table.
sewer project - thanksgiving al fresco

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