Department of Design and Construction311Search all NYC.gov websites

August 26, 2016

New York City Department of Design and Construction Makes Improvements to Pedestrian Safety in the Bronx

Caribbean-born resident engineer manages construction of new sidewalk extensions to provide safe access to subway lines and bus stops

DDC Resident Engineer Erickson Prevost in front of a bus bump-out
DDC Resident Engineer Erickson Prevost in front of a bus bump-out, which connects the subway station to the bus stop without making pedestrians stand in the street.

Contact:
Shavone Williams
Public Information Officer
718-391-1583

Dan Leibel
Junior Public Information Officer
718-391-1251

Bronx, NY—Ten new bus bump-outs, which are sidewalk extensions that connect stairways for the elevated trains to nearby bus stops, are set to be completed in The Bronx as part of a $7.4 million project that aims to provide New Yorkers with safe routes to transit. The project is funded by the Federal Transit Administration and is being managed by the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation. It is scheduled to finish in the fall of 2016.

“DDC is committed to improving pedestrian safety in the Bronx through the installation of new bump-outs that allow pedestrians to travel from the businesses to subways to bus stops without having to travel in the street,” said DDC Commissioner Feniosky Peña-Mora. “We are proud of this project and support Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative citywide.”

The seven-inch reinforced concrete bump-outs will provide pedestrians safe access to New York City and Westchester County bus lines with connection to the 2, 4, 5 and 6 subway routes. Work is being completed along elevated subway stops on Jerome Avenue, White Plains Road and Westchester Avenue.

Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative, which was rolled out in 2014, aims to reduce traffic crashes between automobiles and pedestrians. Approximately, 4,000 New Yorkers are seriously injured each year from colliding with automobiles. Additionally, being struck by a vehicle is the leading cause of injury-related deaths for children under the age of 14, and the second leading cause for seniors. On average, vehicles seriously injure or kill a New Yorker every two hours, according to the Mayor’s Vision Zero website.

The scope of the project includes the relocation of 2,825 feet of water mains, along with 20 catch basins that will prevent ponding in the area. In addition, 2,975 feet of steel faced curb will be constructed in conjunction with 62,000 square feet of new reinforced concrete sidewalks. Once the sidewalk extensions are completed, 5,430 square feet of roadway will be reconstructed. Other construction operations include; new pedestrian’s crosswalks at intersections, new street lighting and the installation of 13 new fire hydrants.

“It’s nice to be able to be able to contribute to the borough I live in,” said DDC Resident Engineer Erickson Prevost, who has lived in the Bronx since 1986. “I shop here, I live here, and I raise my kids here and it’s nice to be contributing to the safety of them and my neighbors.”

Prevost first came to the United States as a teenager from the Caribbean island of Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic) - an island roughly the size of The Bronx with a population of 72,000. He currently lives with his wife and children in the Castle Hill neighborhood of The Bronx. He began working with DDC’s Bronx Infrastructure Unit in 1999 after graduating from the City College of New York in 1998 with a degree in Civil Engineering.

Mr. Prevost is proud when he speaks about his family. He attributes them as inspiration for making the Bronx a better place to live and work through the infrastructure improvement projects that he manages.

“I’ve seen the whole place transform,” Mr. Prevost said of the borough. “It’s definitely looking more 21st-century and that’s going to make a positive impact on the people here.”


About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor de Blasio’s lenses of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, new or upgraded roadways, sewers, water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $15 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative, and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to city projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.