While communities on Long Island got the designer expressway walls through their neighborhoods, Maspeth and Middle Village got the Sing-Sing prison-style version. This demonstrates exactly what the State Department of Transportation thinks of our community.
In 1997 the New York State Department of Transportation widened the Long Island Expressway cutting down hundreds of trees along the perimeter. At that time the Juniper Park Civic Association created a task force to deal with several issues relating to the expansion. The State decided to replace the asphalt roadbed with concrete. This decision has had a huge negative impact on the community. Concrete as a roadbed is much noisier than asphalt. As a result the JPCA protested and the State was forced to install sound barriers on the southside of the LIE. However sound barriers are only effective for reducing noise within 500 ft. of the LIE. The JPCA called for an asphalt roadbed instead of concrete. However the state replied that asphalt has to be replaced every five years where a concrete roadbed can last up to 20 years. That is little consolation to the residents living near the LIE. If you notice, the State does not install concrete roadbeds where houses abut the LIE, except in Maspeth & Middle Village. It’s time for our State elected officials to make some noise in Albany. Are you listening Assemblywoman Markey and Senator Addabbo? Can you hear us now?