Bainbridge Avenue in Norwood faces dual projects at its roads, which could spell traffic headaches for the hundreds of drivers that navigate the busy artery following the unofficial end of summer.

The problems will likely come during the morning rush, when crews for both projects each running on opposite ends of Bainbridge Avenue–will be on the road. Between parents dropping off children at the neighborhood schools beginning the first day of school on Sept. 5, employees or visitors of Montefiore Health System and North Central Bronx Hospital, and shopping activity at the Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District, getting around will pose some major issues for the community.

Bainbridge Avenue and East Gun Hill Road serves as a major nexus of activity, with buses, cars, and ambulances cutting through. Parking spots have also been occupied by the operating crews and their trucks, reducing the already limited number of spots.

The project is overseen by the New York City Department of Design & Construction (DDC). It began in 2016 as a way to upgrade pipes connecting to the Croton Water Filtration Plant, which re-entered service in 2015.

Cost estimates for the project stand at $45 million. It is slated to be completed by June 2019 but traffic tie-ups were expected to be alleviated as of July this year once Bainbridge Avenue reopened to two-way traffic between East 210th Street and Jerome Avenue.

The bumper-to-bumper traffic hasn’t completely caused accidents, though the number of fender benders went from 18 in 2017 to 21 in 2018 on Bainbridge Avenue in the construction areas, according to publicly available figures reviewed by the Norwood News.

As has been the case, the Bx16, Bx34, and BxM4 buses, which usually headed north on Bainbridge Avenue and East Gun Hill Road, have been rerouted to Jerome Avenue after turning left from East Gun Hill Road and Bainbridge Avenue. The single lane on Jerome Avenue under the No. 4 subway train has created major delays during the summer, where traffic is usually lighter. A drive that would normally take 10 minutes on Jerome Avenue between East Gun Hill Road and the Woodlawn No. 4 station can take upwards of a half hour.

Despite the delays, Rosa, a resident waiting for the northbound Bx10 bus on Bainbridge Avenue and East Gun Hill Road just across from the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, had no complaints. “It doesn’t bother me. It will make people’s lives easier.”

The project appears to be halfway completed, with much of the action currently focused on East 213th Street and Bainbridge Avenue.

Janet Nappi, who works at the Bainbridge Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center, feels dissatisfied with how long construction has taken. “It was supposed to be done in July; we’re in August. What happened? I feel sorry for the people who live here because they can’t even park and get their groceries up without getting a ticket.”

A nurse from Montefiore Health System’s nearby Moses Campus seconded that line of thinking, saying, “I hope they hurry up and finish. It’s been a while.”

Other employees of the hospital, such as, Carlos May, felt differently. “Sometimes to achieve certain things in life, you have to give and take. What they’re doing here is important. It’s making this place much safer than before.”

A spokesperson for the DDC says the agency “will continue to work with the local stakeholders and partner agencies to minimize the traffic impacts as we upgrade the neighborhood’s vital infrastructure.  We expect the work near the school to be completed within the next few months.”

New Project
On the other end of Bainbridge Avenue, Con Edison is currently replacing gas mains between East 205th and East 206th streets while tearing up asphalt to replace gas lines by Perry Avenue.

The work will continue through the end of September and has been accompanied by parking restrictions in a neighborhood where parking is at a premium, as well as loud noise, traffic obstructions and temporary sidewalk closure, according to a work notice provided by Con Edison. Parking has been made temporarily unavailable to drivers on both sides of the street that’s home to a variety of small businesses throughout the avenue.

The raucous construction is a popular complaint among those who live or work in the area. “I’m freaking going deaf. It’s noisy, but they’ve been working fast. People complain but they know it has to get done,” noted a resident of the neighborhood who chose to remain anonymous.

Maria Jazmine Lizarro, a hostess at Nicky’s Coffee Shop, located on the same street as the Con Edison project, had a few words while on her way out of work. “[Construction workers] are doing their job but with all that noise, you don’t hear the people when they order.”

Local resident Jonathan Flores admitted the dissonance to be a bit irritating but is still pleased with the construction. “The noise is a little annoying. But if they’re trying to fix or replace the whole pipeline, that’s really great,” he said. Ironically, the loud beeping from an excavator in the background made it difficult for a reporter to hear Flores while he was speaking.

Occurring during peak travel hours, construction takes place weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., breaking into the morning and evening rush hours.