STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Before leaving office following two decades in the state legislature, Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island) was able to secure one more major victory for the residents of the borough’s Mid-Island.
On Friday, Cusick joined the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) to announce a $2.4 million sidewalk project along Forest Hill Road in Willowbrook, something that the assemblyman and local community members have advocated for over the past several years.
“This has been a longstanding issue that I worked tirelessly on since before the pandemic. It’s a project of necessity for a community that has had to navigate a narrow, busy thoroughfare for many years,” Cusick said.
The project, which is expected to be completed in Spring 2023, will construct a nearly one mile-long sidewalk along Forest Hill Road, from Willowbrook Road to D Street, creating a safer pedestrian environment.
Currently, much of the project area has no sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to either cross the street or walk dangerously alongside traffic.
The new sidewalk is expected to protect the hundreds of pedestrians who walk along Forest Hill Road each day, traveling to Young Israel of Staten Island across the street and the College of Staten Island or New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities down the road.
“There are certain points along Forest Hill Road that have been downright dangerous, and I’m very happy that I’m able to finish my time in the State Assembly by ensuring that all members of the neighborhood can walk safely, including students at CSI, staff at the Institute of Basic Research, and families in the neighborhood,” Cusick added.
The project is the result of a coordinated effort between the city and state, with Cusick playing a key role in bringing both levels of government together to fund and approve the project.
The DOT is funding roughly $1.9 million of the $2.4 million project, with Cusick’s office allocating state funds to cover the remaining $500,000.
Other involved agencies include the state’s Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), which had to approve the use of its land to allow the project to proceed, and the state’s Dormitory Authority (DASNY), which procured the construction contract.
“This project is a common sense collaboration between NYC DOT and the State to bring much needed safety and pedestrian improvements to New Springville and the Staten Island community,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
“This sidewalk is a prime example of state and local government working together to address an issue, with the common goal of improving New Yorkers’ safety and accessibility as pedestrians,” OPWDD Commissioner Kerri Neifeld added.
Borough President Vito Fossella commended Cusick for securing the new sidewalk before leaving office and said that these are the types of projects that are most important to borough residents.
“He [Cusick] could have easily just rested on his laurels, but he wanted to make sure that this final project got done,” Fossella said. “These are the quality of life issues that are essential and important to the people of Staten Island and across the city. This is what people want everybody to do; work together.”
MORE STATEN ISLAND NEWS
>> Staten Island Starbucks location reopens with a new look, quieting union-busting controversy
>> Attention Staten Island drivers: MTA S79 bus-mounted cameras to begin issuing tickets this month
>> Staten Island will get new $98 million rec center, NYC’s first in nearly a decade