Kicking Off Chappaqua's Infrastructure and Streetscape Project

CHAPPAQUA, NY — The Chappaqua Infrastructure and Streetscape Project gets underway officially Thursday with a "groundbreaking" ceremony in front of New Castle Town Hall.

The event takes place at 10 a.m. July 13 at 200 South Greeley Ave.

"We are very excited to get started on this monumental project which will include include new crosswalks and traffic/parking improvements that will make it safer for residents to walk around our downtown," said Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein in a press release.

The project includes a lot of work underground. However, once it's finished (Nov. 20, 2018) what residents will notice are the embellishments including decorative side- and crosswalks, benches, plantings, lighting and more.

"The genesis of this project is for infrastructure replacement," Greenstein said. "Our nearly century old water mains are years beyond their design life of 75 years. Sewer mains, installed over 50 years ago, are corroding from the outside in from sitting in acidic and unstable soil. This shift in the position of the main and manholes has contributed to the spike in sewer blockages which wreak havoc on our downtown businesses. This is evidenced by the pricing of the project -- approximately 80% of the cost and over a hundred pages of plans are dedicated to the piping under the ground."

Discussed for many years, the project hit the planning stages in 2015, when the town created the Streetscape Committee and hired international engineering firm WSP to help with design and layout.

On May 9, 2017, the Town Board voted to award the Downtown Infrastructure/Streetscape Project to ELQ Industries, Inc., a construction company based in New Rochelle.

Some of the biggest infrastructure improvements:

• Replacement of about 1,650 feet of 12-inch water main

• Replacement of about 2,650 of 8 inch and 15-inch sewer mains

• New storm water management systems along N. and S. Greeley to alleviate flooding

• New traffic signal at the intersection of King and Greeley with formalized crosswalks

The project also includes streetscape improvements: new lighting, sidewalks, curbing and landscaping. Residents can look forward to new wider sidewalks, attractive new public spaces, new crosswalks and traffic/parking improvements. Some of the major Streetscape Elements:

• New Concrete Sidewalks with Brick Paver Trim

• Decorative Brick Crosswalks

• ADA Compliant Tactile Warning Surfaces

• Bluestone in Public Gathering Areas

• New Granite Curbing

• Ornamental LED Lighting

• New / Refinished Benches

• Trash Receptacles

• Fluted Bollards

• Bicycle Racks

• Seating Walls

• Ornamental Fencing

• Planter Boxes with Plantings

• New Trees with Identification Plaques and Grates

• Clock

The contract contains the following completion milestones that the Contractor must meet:

• October 1, 2017 -- Installation of new water system

• October 1, 2017 -- Installation of new sewer system north of Rite Aid on North Greeley Avenue

• March 2, 2018 – Completion of all remaining sewer work in the Chappaqua Hamlet

• November 20, 2018 -- Completion of the entire project

"The excitement comes with inconvenience and we will do our best to minimize the disruption," Greenstein said. "Some residents are already experiencing this inconvenience with the preliminary gas line replacement work currently being done by Con Ed."

To help mitigate these issue the construction management firm, Boswell Engineering, will be located in downtown Chappaqua in the former EZ Sports space and will have a 24/7 presence. Officials plan to keep merchants informed of project scheduling.

Go to www.DowntownStrong.com to find out more about the project and to sign up for updates.

Deputy Supervisor Adam Brodsky, who chaired the Streetscape Committee, said, "It’s time to get this done, within the tax cap, and the residents will be thrilled with the results. This project will improve the overall aesthetic of our Chappaqua Hamlet and finally provide us with an infrastructure platform that will allow our Downtown to grow and prosper."