Cruz Contractors, Holmdel, N.J., has officially broken ground on the first phase of a $150-million, 62-acre New York City Economic Development Corp. redevelopment project at Willets Point in Queens. The $50-million first phase is for remediation and redevelopment and includes construction of a sanitary sewer main and reconstruction of a storm sewer and outfall. This phase is in line with PlaNYC’s goal of improving the quality of the city’s waterways and is the first step in the remediation of the long-contaminated Willets Point site, connecting the area to the city grid for the first time, EDC says.
The sewer and outfall part of the project are expected to provide more than 350 construction or construction-related jobs, EDC says. Both sewers are scheduled for completion in 2013.