Traffic Fixes for East Bronx
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LOCAL CLASSIFIEDS PAGE 14 March 23, 2014 Your Neighborhood — Your News® Jobless rate down WARNING to 11.2 % BY BEN KOCHMAN TO BAD We’re not there yet, but at least it’s getting a little better. The borough boasted its low- est January unemployment rate in the last fi ve years, according to the State Department of Labor’s latest count. From Jan. 2010 to Jan. 2014, BUILDERS the percent of Bronx country un- employed has sunk from 13.9% to 11.2 %. Architect hired to nab cheating developers That’s still high enough to Photo by Walter Pofeldt Walter by Photo rank the borough as the state’s BY PATRICK ROCCHIO possibly also from Throggs Neck most jobless county. But the De- East Bronx nabes, fed up with and around Williamsbridge Road, partment of Labor says there’s the city Department of Buildings said WLCA board member An- reason to be optimistic that more approving developers’ plans for drew Chirico. jobs are on the way. projects that wind up violating lo- Architect Boaz Golani said “We are by no means satisfi ed cal zoning regulations, are fi nally that he may soon take a tour of with the unemployment rate now, doing something about it. development sites where the com- but we’re excited about the trend,” After Senator Jeff Klein se- munity has raised objections in said Elbert Garcia, a DOL spokes- Tooting Horns For St. Pat cured his services, members of the past. man. the Waterbury LaSalle Commu- “Over the years, Waterbury Slew of resources Kaylee and Tommy Forte enjoy the revels at the Bronx St. Patrick’s Day nity Association and Council- LaSalle residents have raised Over 10,800 fewer people in the Parade on E. Tremont Avenue on Sunday, March 16. Both were part of a sea man Jimmy Vacca’s offi ce will be concerns surrounding overdevel- borough were unemployed this of green marchers and spectators along the route. For more photos, see working with a Bronx architect opment in our community,” said January compared to in January pages 29 to 31. to review select fi lings from Pel- Klein. 2013, according to the state’s sta- ham Bay and Schuylerville, and Continued on Page 4 tistics. The total raw number of Bronxites with jobs in January is a whopping 495,900—the larg- est employed job force on record since the state started keeping the stats in 1990. Traffi c fi xes for East Bronx Riding the coattails The myriad retail and devel- opment projects in the Bronx BY JAIME WILLIAMS missioner Bill Bratton has heard DOT is able to address traffi c con- pipeline should only increase the Local drivers may soon get his plea. trol at the situation, and that the amount of jobs up for grabs. some relief from traffi c woes at Vacca said that traffi c enforce- police department will follow up “I am encouraged by this drop two troublesome east Bronx inter- ment agents have been restored with DOT about adjusting signals in unemployment, and my offi ce sections. to Pelham Parkway and Boston at the Allerton Avenue intersec- will continue to put forward an ag- The intersections at Pelham Road, and that he is working with tion. gressive agenda for development Parkway and Boston Road, and at the city Department of Transpor- A DOT spokesperson said the and job creation,” said Bronx Bor- Allerton Avenue and Bronx Park tation to improve traffi c signal department has reviewed signal ough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “As East, are known troublespots for timing at Allerton Avenue and timing at both locations and the more of the major projects that are residents of Pelham Parkway and Bronx Park East. agency continues to review the lo- planned for the borough come to Allerton. In a March 11 letter to Vacca, cations to further balance pedes- fruition, we expect that unemploy- Councilman Jimmy Vacca has Bratton wrote the agents will reg- trian safety and mobility needs. Traffi c mahem at Pehlam Parkway and ment numbers in the Bronx would led the fi ght to bring changes to ularly be assigned to the Pehlam “It’s good news on both fronts,” Boston Road on Wednesday March 19. Continued on Page 4 the intersections, and Police Com- Parkway intersection until the Continued on Page 15 Photo courtesy of Christina Ojar A CNG Publication • Vol. 673 No. No. 12 5 • Vol. 67 No. 5 UPDATED EVERY DAY AT BXTIMES.COM City Island bridge olive branch New DOT commish calls; concerns over contractor history BY PATRICK ROCCHIO Dolensek said Trot- But the CICA letter to DOI spokeswoman Dianne City Islanders have got- tenberg did not make any DOI Acting Commissioner Struzzi. ten a ray of hope over oppo- promises, but the call Victor Olds noted Tutor Klein ‘heartened’ sition to an unwanted de- seemed to signal a change Perini has a history of com- Senator Jeff Klein, who sign of a new bridge. in tone from the Bloomberg ing in with a dramatically aided the CICA in fi ling a New city Department of administration, which is- low bid to win construction lawsuit against the new Transportation Commis- landers charge ignored contracts and then citing bridge, said “I am heart- sioner Polly Trottenberg their concerns over the cost overruns to dramati- ened by the goodwill al- recently reached out to City 160-feet tall new bridge – cally raise costs. ready shown by DOT Com- Island Civic Association a “cable-stayed” design The letter and support- missioner Trottenberg.” BRONX WEEKLY March 23, 2014 2 MarchBRONX 23, 2014 WEEKLY with a soaring tower in the ing news articles cited a “In the coming weeks, shape of a sail. number of examples: local residents, key stake- Many islanders argue •Suing New York City holders and I will welcome If they went the modernistic design for $170 million for cost Commissioner Trotten- with a reduced is not in keeping with the overruns on sewer projects berg to City Island, where island’s nautical atmo- in the 1990s, then settling we can show her fi rsthand scope bridge.. sphere. for $22 million our concerns with the cur- Under review •San Francisco Interna- rent bridge design.” we would have a “I was very impressed,” tional Airport City Councilman Jim- Dolensek said of Trotten- •Bay Area Rapid Tran- myVacca said he has al- winner. berg’s call. “She said ‘We sit System (BART) in Cali- ready met several times Jimmy Vacca can’t promise anything, The current City Island Bridge, opened over 100 years ago at the fornia with Trottenberg. but our engineers are sit- start of the 20th century. By Patrick Rocchio Tutor Perini spokesman “I pointed out to her Councilman ting down with [bridge Jorge Casado said its “ex- that the cost was prohibi- contractor] Tutor Perini ecutive management” was tive, that we could save the second vice-president Bar- engineers and that we are CICA sent to the Depart- for cost overruns. reviewing the documents city signifi cant amounts of bara Dolensek to say the trying come up with some ment of Investigation, al- Tutor Perini History produced by the CICA. money,” he said. “If they city would look for ways to kind of resolution to this.’” leging Tutor Perini has a The contractor won the “We are aware of the went with a reduced scope work with local leaders on Meanwhile, the city re- history of underbidding on low bid of $102 million to matter, and we decline bridge...we could have a the new bridge design. mains mum on a letter the projects and then billing build the new bridge. further comment,” said win-win,” he said. www.BXTimes.com A YOU CAN SEE! 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EventEventEvent code: code:code: TR237284 TR241511TR241663 (1119948) (1127974) (1127241) MS.US.MS.US.PO1497.0313PO1497.0313 Crackdown on bad builders From Page 1 ture for a growing popula- He has a plan to make the “Having a licensed ar- tion,” he said. “They feel side space requirements in chitect meet with local that if they are building different variations of R-5 leaders and decode pro- two or three family homes, zones to apply to all R-6 and spective building plans can there should be infrastruc- R-7 zones. only help inform our com- ture provisions for the new However, there may munity on the possible im- population, which I think still be a ‘loophole’ or other pact of new developments makes sense.” rules that allow zero-lot and help ensure that all Other concerns, like line building in certain cir- new projects are following creating incentives for con- cumstances, even in those building guidelines and struction of single family zones.