Emergency construction work disrupting parking spots

Between this work — and, I guess there’s additional work — they’re talking about a few weeks.”

JEFFREY DINOWITZ, Assemblyman

Anyone trying to make their way along Sedgwick Avenue and some of the surrounding streets near the Jerome Park Reservoir should get ready for a mess. Con Edison has taken over large chunks of Kingsbridge Heights and Van Cortlandt Village through what the utility describes as “emergency work” that started a few weeks ago.

But it’s not only traffic plaguing these neighborhoods — there also is a cause for concern for those looking for their regular public street parking space.

The work, according to ConEd, is “to remove and replace cables between two of our manholes” located where Sedgwick meets Van Cortlandt Avenue West, and the area of Sedgwick between Giles Place and Fort Independence Street.

The work has tied up dozens of parking spaces — many of which ConEd says it expects to return to residents over the next week. But expect to see more of ConEd there, as the utility foresees construction continuing through March 25.

Still, officials say they’re working “around the clock to expedite the work as much as possible.”

Officials from Community Board 8 were not available for comment.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said his office has been in touch with ConEd, asking the utility to make life as easy as possible for people as the work continues.

“Between this work — and, I guess there’s additional work — they’re talking about a few weeks,” Dinowitz said, “which is really going to be a nightmare for the people in the neighborhood.”

The current permit for the work offers a list of stipulations that the work must follow. Not included in this list is any specific approval to block parking on the opposite side of the street, although it does list one action as “parking of non-commercial vehicles on the street (roadway and sidewalk) within work zones is prohibited.”

Included in ConEd’s work permit is its ability to work around the clock, so long as they maintain two lanes for traffic — one in either direction — and a five-foot clearance on the sidewalk for pedestrians.

ConEd did not respond to requests for comment on the exact nature of the emergency. The utility tied up these neighborhoods for months back in 2017 during a planned refurbishment of gas and electrical lines, drawing a number of complaints from residents there — not just from lack of parking, but also for not securing roadway plates.

That work came a few years after ConEd completed a similar project closer to Giles, where massive residential complexes like Shalom Aleichem are situated. A lot of the neighbor frustration would culminate in a packed Community Board 8 meeting as 2017 came to a close, complaining about noise, dust, and lack of parking.