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UPDATE MARCH 26TH:  FCRC spokesman Joe DePlasco has told Atlantic Yards Report the security guard at the Pacific Avenue gate confirms a PC Richards truck was the "culprit" that knocked over the traffic light.  311 and 911 were notified.  Daidone Electric arrived at the scene at 8:15 AM to work on the light.  The traffic light was up and running by 10:15 AM.

However, while earlier 911 and 311 calls may have been made by the security guard or construction personnel and Daidone Electric may have been there earlier, when a resident arrived at 9:20 AM Daidone Electric was not there and no personnel were assisting the public in relation to the blocked intersection.  The resident called 911 at that time.  Emergency personnel arrived around 25 minutes later.  While operable now, the light was not up and running at 10:15.  It was not repaired until sometime afterward.

According to the PC Richards location nearby, the truck was not theirs.  AYW has also placed a call to the regional PC Richards distribution center to see if a truck associated with it knocked over the light.  The information will be useful as a step towards identifying what manuever the truck was attempting to execute that knocked over the light.  The goal is to have a functional and safe intersection that meets the demands the intersection must bear.

Pacific Street at the Carlton Avenue intersection is pinched by construction fencing, making it difficult if not impossible for many trucks to manuever in the vicinity of the intersection.  It is the temporary lack of room to manuever at that location because of the construction fencing that is the root cause of the regular accidents with the traffic light.

Construction apparently caused an emergency yesterday morning when a traffic signal at the Carlton Avenue and Pacific Street intersection was knocked down for the fourth time this year.  This time the knocked over light blocked Pacific Street and electric wires were exposed.  Because vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic wasn't routed away from the site, all used the same sidewalk to get around the problem.  The incident occurred only a few feet from the location of the work removing the mock-up of the Barclays Center facade announced with a Supplemental Construction Alert on Friday.  

The video above shows cars driving around the location of the downed traffic light as the work to remove the facade continues in the background (note the flashing light).   When a local resident first encountered the scene there were no flaggers guiding traffic.  In fact, although a guard was in a security booth nearby, only cones warned drivers of the problem.

More than three weeks after it was created, a mountain of dirt the last two construction updates stated "will be completely covered" was finally covered last night.  

The lack of covering has been a real concern to nearby residents because of the hazard dust will migrate from the stockpiled material.  Dust did blow from a similar pile over the summer.  Winter weather conditions, especially this winter, are erratic and do not reliably suppress dust.

Residents of the streets surrounding the Atlantic Yards Project have numerous concerns about impacts that will follow the opening of Barclays Center arena, but few are greater than the effect of a new surface parking lot planned for the block bordered by Carlton Avenue, Vanderbilt Avenue, Dean Street and Pacific Street.  The block is known as block 1129.

Following FCRC's renegotiation of the project plan in 2009, the duration of use of block 1129 for surface parking was extended, the number of spaces were increased, and up to two cars were assigned to each space using stackers.  In addition, for the first time all the parking planned for the arena was concentrated there. Originally scheduled to be an "interim" surface lot in place for perhaps four years, it is now likely the full block of parking will be in place for at least 12 years, by which point the developer is required to start the construction of one residential building on the block.  The remainder of the site can remain a parking lot for as long as 25 years or more since the project's development agreement allows further extension under certain conditions.

The picture on the left above commissioned by AYW is an illustration of the lot configuration and stackers necessary to provide the 1,100 parking spaces specified in the 2009 Atlantic Yards Modified General Project Plan. Given the density and number of parking spaces, the lot would not comply with New York City's design standards for surface parking lots. For comparison, the picture on the right shows a possible design for parking on block 1129 based upon City standards.  (Click on the pictures to enlarge.)   

A Supplemental Construction Alert from Empire State Development Corporation Project Director Arana Hankin has given notice work in the railyard now may extend until 3 am Monday through Friday.  The extended hours are to be implemented as needed to work on the Carlton Avenue Bridge.  State documents made available as a result of a FOIL request by Norman Oder of Atlantic Yards Report show ESDC's Owner's Representative STV reported to the ESDC in September 2011 that the bridge is one month behind schedule and now has an anticipated completion date of late September 2012, the same time the arena is scheduled to open.