MTA's 63rd Street Tunnel Track Rehab Project Starts August 28, Preparation Work Begins This Weekend With No Roosevelt Island F Train Service To Manhattan

There will be no Roosevelt Island F train service to Manhattan this weekend as the MTA begins preparation for the 63rd Street Tunnel Track Rehab project beginning August 28.

According to the MTA, the 63rd Street Tunnel Direct Fixation Track  project will replace:

... track along the F line between 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Center in Manhattan and 36 St in Queens. The project will improve reliability, mitigate leaks to prevent future corrosion and deterioration and extend the life of existing infrastructure.

Crews will remove existing direct fixation track and construct new concrete track and new direct fixation track, install new contact rail, protection boards, brackets and insulators, remove and replace cables, furnish and install new signal equipment, repair spalled concrete and cracks and seal active leaks.

The following service changes will be in effect through the first quarter of 2024:

Beginning Monday, August 28, F service will be rerouted via the E line in both directions between 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Center and Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av....

... Weekdays and weekends between 5 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., F shuttle trains will operate between Lexington Av/63 St and 21 St-Queensbridge, and free Q95 shuttle buses will operate between the 21 St-Queensbridge and Queens Plaza stations.

Overnights between midnight and 5 a.m., F shuttle train service is suspended and free Q94 shuttle buses will connect the Roosevelt Island, 21 St-Queensbridge, and Queens Plaza stations....

The Q94 (overnight shuttle from Roosevelt Island to Queens Plaza) is scheduled to run every ten minutes, not necessarily on the hour.

The Q95 (daytime shuttle between 21^st Queensbridge and Queens Plaza) will run every 10 minutes off-peak, and as frequently as every 4-6 minutes during peak hours.

Cornell Tech created these maps showing how to get to and from Roosevelt Island by subway and bus shuttle during the project.

Also, there will be no Roosevelt Island F Train service:

• from Manhattan between 9:45 p.m. on Friday, August 18 and 5 a.m. on Monday, August 21 and
• to and from Manhattan between 9:45 p.m. on Friday, August 25 and 5 a.m. on Monday, August 28.
  

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) announced:

Dear Roosevelt Island Community:

The MTA will be doing track work that will affect F-Train service for several weekends in August before the start of their major Track Replacement Project on August 28th.

To help accommodate Roosevelt Island residents, RIOC's Transportation Department will be providing a Shuttle Bus to and from Manhattan during the following weekends:

• August 12-13
• August 19-20
• August 26-27

The Roosevelt Island Shuttle Bus to Manhattan will start Saturdays at 3:00 PM. The shuttle will depart hourly from the Tramway, making all northbound local stops to Capobianco Field (Opposite PS/IS 217).

Return Red Bus service from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island will start at 3:30 PM. This bus will depart on the half hour from the Southwest side of 2nd Avenue, between 58th & 59th Street, and will make all southbound local bus stops (starting with 591 Main Street) to the Tram.

The last trip will depart from the Roosevelt Island Tramway at 7:00 PM. The last trip will depart Manhattan at 7:30 PM. Please note that regular Red Bus service may run on an adjusted scheduled to accommodate the additional Tram shuttle service.

Please keep an eye out for future communications regarding this upcoming MTA project. Thank you!

-Team RIOC

As of today, RIOC has not announced any plans for increased Roosevelt Island Tram service during the 63rd Street Tunnel Rehab Project.

Here's a summary of the MTA's project presented to the June 7 CB 8 Transportation/Roosevelt Island committees

and a presentation by MTA representatives to the June 29 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors meeting, describing the project to those in attendance.

Stay tune for more info as it becomes available.

Roosevelt Island Teen Mugged Near Subway Station Yesterday Morning, Mask Wearing Thief Escaped Into Subway Station - RIOC Claims Intent To Be Transparent On Public Safety But They Are Silent On This Incident

 The NYPD 114 precinct responded to a report of a mugging

 

near the Roosevelt Island subway station yesterday at about 9 AM.

Yesterday morning, I asked Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Department Chief Kevin Brown and Assistant Vice President of Communications Akeem Jamal:

I understand there was a mugging this morning on Main Street near the subway station and suspect escaped into the subway station? The victim was a teen?

Is that true? 

Was the victim injured ?  Were any weapons used?

Do you have any more info on the incident?

There was no response from  RIOC.

 

I followed up today with another email to Chief Brown and Mr Jamal:

As you may recall, during the July 25 PSD Community Engagement meeting, Kevin said that PSD wants to be 100 percent transparent in reporting Roosevelt Island public safety incidents. Being timely with reporting PSD incidents is part of being transparent.

I am following up on the email below about a mugging near the Roosevelt Island subway station yesterday morning.

According to the RIOC PSD blotter:

08/09/23 – 1019 – Rear of 465 Main St – Robbery – PSD, NYPD and EMS responded – Gone on arrival/ Report filed.

I understand the victim in yesterday's robbery was a male teenager and the mask wearing suspect escaped into the subway station?

Is that true? 

Was the victim injured ?  Were any weapons used? What was stolen from the teen?

Were there any PSD officers in the subway at the time. During the July 25 PSD community meeting, Kevin mentioned that PSD officers are often stationed in the subway station.

Do you have any more info on the incident?

Still no response from RIOC.

Meet Catherine Kim, New Acting President Of RIVAA Gallery - Her Mission Is To Foster A Supportive And Creative Artistic Community, Present Member And Guest Exhibitions And Contribute To Roosevelt Island's Quality Of Life

Newly appointed Acting President of Roosevelt Island's RIVAA Gallery 

Catherine Kim reports:

I am honored by the RIVAA Board of Directors to assume the role of acting president, which I intend to fulfill with humility and integrity. As a friend and sometimes-volunteer of the association since 2014 and as a resident of Roosevelt Island since 2017, I am excited to foster a supportive and creative artistic community in which members and distinguished artists exhibit their work, and in so doing, contribute to the Island’s quality of life.

This past year, I have witnessed great improvements at RIVAA towards hearing from more voices, negotiating a number of guest exhibitions, installing a new point of sales machine, and creating a committee structure, amongst other accomplishments, and I thank former RIVAA President Sandra Gavelyte and the 2022-2023 Board for their work. In the upcoming year, my goals are as follows:

• Promote a culture of respect, trust, and collaboration
• Build a stable foundation of processes, policies and systems; norms can be codified and transparently communicated to ensure a consistent and fair experience for all
• Develop a long-term financial strategy
• Make deliberate, data-driven decisions informed by multiple perspectives

My background lends itself to this role. Administering a nonprofit program for several years gave me experience overseeing finances, staffing, communications, and operations on a large scale. In the roles as community organizer and school teacher, building diverse coalitions was integral to my success. More recently, I have found a passion for bringing teams together to accomplish initiatives as a Project Management Professional and “scrum master”. In my current role as product manager, I perform this function and strategize on how best to use technology to maximize nonprofit fundraising and revenue. Finally, I have a deep and enduring appreciation for the arts. Drawing was one of my main joys as a young person, and I hope to rekindle that now, in keeping closely connected to our mission.

As a volunteer organization, RIVAA’s progress is limited only by the commitment of its members. If everyone contributes their unique strengths and skills, we can achieve great things together in a sustainable manner. I look forward to partnering with you all this year in my capacity as a steward of RIVAA.

Stop by RIVAA Gallery this month for the current Spectrum exhibition of their members works. 

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RIVAA Gallery is located at 527 Main Street.

Hours are: 

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: 6 pm - 9 pm

Thursday: 11 am - 5 pm

Friday: 6 pm - 9 pm

Saturday: 11 am - 5 pm

Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm

More information about Gallery RIVAA is available at their website.

You're Invited To Enjoy Evening Jazz Concert Wednesday August 9 With Local Island Krewe Musicians At Roosevelt Island NY Public Library Outdoor Patio

You're Invited To Enjoy Evening Jazz Concert Wednesday July 9 With Local Island Krewe Musicians At Roosevelt Island NY Public Library Outdoor Patio

Unexpected Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Board Directors "Special" Meeting Held Today In Executive Session Closed To The Public - What's Going On?

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Directors do not usually hold full Board meetings during the summer and before last week the next meeting was not scheduled until September 14. But something happened recently which caused the RIOC Board to schedule a "Special" meeting today.

The meeting is in executive session which means that it is being held in secret, closed to the community and media. As of now, any specifics about today's RIOC Board meeting are not known publicly.

Among the two agenda items is:

... proposed, pending or current litigation;..

The use of the word "proposed" may be telling because in the past, RIOC Board executive sessions involving litigation were about "pending or current litigation". I do not recall a previous meeting involving "proposed" litigation.

Here's the agenda for today's RIOC Board meeting. to RIOC:

NOTICE OF THE AUGUST 7, 2023 SPECIAL MEETING OF THE ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a special meeting of the RIOC Board of Directors will be held on Monday, August 7, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Good Shepherd Community Center, 543 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, New York 10044.

AGENDA:

1. Call to Order

2. Roll Call

3. Chair’s Motion for Executive Session to Discuss:

a. proposed, pending or current litigation; and

b. the medical, financial, credit or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation.

4. Adjournment

Is there some "proposed" litigation involving RIOC being discussed by the Board Directors today?

Proposed by whom? 

And does the agenda item 3 (a) "proposed" litigation have anything to do with agenda item 3(b)?

What could this be? 

Stay tune.