DOT milling and paving underway in Riverdale area to address persistent potholes

The New York City Department of Transportation’s street repair initiative swept through Riverdale starting on March 16, prompting road closures along Palisade Avenue from Spaulding Lane to Edsall Avenue in Spuyten Duyvil.

Greater Riverdale has long been plagued by roads riddled with potholes, with residents filing more than 3,400 pothole complaints to 311 in the last year.

The first step of the process is milling, during which construction crews use heavy machinery to grind off the top layer of a roadway. They then cover it with tarmac, and later pave over it with asphalt. Milling was done through March 19 — targeting Douglas Avenue, West 235th through West 237th streets, Hudson Manor Terrace and West 239th Street.

Baymen Industries, a New York-based construction firm, was subcontracted by the Department of Transportation for the project. A crew of between 50 and 70 workers were assigned to greater Riverdale for the week.

Eric Orocco works as a flagger for Baymen, directing pedestrians and traffic. He said the construction season has been off to a smooth start. However, neighbors have taken issue with some disruptions caused by the resurfacing, such as package deliveries or cabs not being able to reach their door, Orocco said.

It is a reaction the team encounters regularly, Orocco said. But he noted it was easy to resolve complaints.

“Communication skills are everything,” he said. “Just be polite.”

But even with communication, confusion has been at times unavoidable.  Aidan O’Brien, a Riverdale resident of two years, didn’t see the no-parking signs posted, and had his car towed by Staten Island-based J&J Towing Inc. The car was only taken around the corner, and he and other community members told The Press they weren’t ticketed when their cars were moved.

Despite the towing, O’Brien was happy to see repairs starting, as he recently blew a tire on the Henry Hudson Parkway. He said the construction was “not that inconvenient,” especially because it meant a remedy to the potholes.

With milling completed by Baymen, the DOT will move onto paving. From March 25 to March 27, a crew will go over the recently milled areas. Further resurfacing work will continue through May, targeting Riverdale, Kingsbridge and Spuyten Duyvil roads.