By Mary C. Marvin, Mayor, Village of Bronxville

Apr. 17, 2019:  Now that spring is finally here, the village is abuzz with public works projects, some a joy to look at as we refurbish parks, others sources of frustration due to road closures and detours.

Palmer Avenue Bridge. Usually, the projects are village driven, but now many Westchester County projects that affect the village have reached the top of the queue. Chief among them is the Palmer Avenue Bridge and related road closure, which began on April 10 and is expected to last until June 28. These needed major structural repairs have been years in the planning and by necessity are coordinated solely by the county based on engineering work schedules, public bid outreach for the mandatory request for proposals (RFPs), and then the awarding of the contract. In an ideal world, we would have loved the major closure to be over the summer months, as would every other community, but it was not ours to choose. For added information, Westchester County Traffic Engineering Division posted a number 914-995-2555.

Midland Avenue Bridge. Next on the county’s capital projects agenda that will greatly affect Bronxville traffic flow is structural repairs to the Midland Avenue Bridge. They are major, including the actual raising of the center bridge supports. The project is expected to go out for bid in June with future construction dates premature at this time. The repairs are further complicated by the fact that it impacts the entrance to the Sprain Brook Parkway and Con Edison has decided to take the opportunity of the opening of the roadbed to install a new gas line along Midland Avenue. As soon as we receive any additional information on the timetable, we will share.

West Pondfield Road Bridge. Last in the series of county capital projects is a repair of the West Pondfield Road Bridge near River House. Only in the engineering phase, we expect this project to commence in 2020. All of the above projects are a result of needs assessments based on collaboration between the State Department of Transportation and the Westchester County Traffic Engineering Division.

The bright spot at the end of all of this upheaval will be the repaving of the Bronx River Parkway from the Sprain Brook Parkway north to Scarsdale.

Department of Public Works Facility. On the village capital project front, we are in the final engineering phase of the rebuilding of our department of public works (DPW) facility. Last overhauled in 1942, the project is long overdue. The plans have been tweaked thanks to the input of our DPW staff. As a result of consultation, a more appropriate washroom area has been added, as well as a place for overnight rest during storms and outages. The garage will house all of our complex equipment, adding years to its usable life, and the entire facility will become much more eco-friendly, including solar panels on parts of the roof. The historically attractive brick façade will be repaired, not replaced, so residents of Normandy Terrace will have a consistent classical view.

The reconfiguration will also add parking spaces, hopefully to the benefit of the nearby schools and the senior citizens program.

Parkway Road Parking Lot. If you drove by this week, you would have seen a concrete mixer pouring the new sidewalk from the Parkway Road parking lot to the train station. Work continues to progress on schedule on the lot itself. When completed, ideally at the end of June, the village will have 80 parking spaces, the majority of which will be leased for commuter use. We hope to accommodate residents on Parkway Road with some additional parking options as well and the lot can be used all weekend for west side businesses and restaurants. It also will be much more aesthetically and ecologically appealing with tree pits, improved drainage, scooter parking, a charging station, and safe bicycle storage.

Upon school year completion, sanitary sewer pipes, chiefly along Midland Avenue, will be lined and attendant repairs made, most prominently near the Midland Avenue/Tanglewylde Avenue environs.

On the beautification front, the village is partnering with the Bronxville Beautification Committee (BBC) to refurbish Bicentennial Park, the pocket park on the corner of Meadow Avenue and Pondfield Road.

As I write, surveyors are at Bacon Woods Park, which straddles Kensington and Sagamore Roads. We have commissioned Gisolfi and Associates to draw up plans for refurbishment immediately following. This open space is a village treasure, and we are committed to making it a beautiful and functional oasis.

Many more village capital projects are in the queue, including additional teardrop lighting on the west side near the railroad station and body cameras for our police officers.

The trustees will prioritize after reviewing the village survey results so we remain attuned to the needs and desires of our taxpayers. 

Editor's note: As a public service, MyhometownBronxville publishes articles from local institutions, officeholders, and individuals. MyhometownBronxville does not fact-check statements therein, and any opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the thinking of its staff.