Work To Start This Week On Alley Pond School Expansion

OAKLAND GARDENS, QUEENS — Construction on a new wing for the elementary school P.S. 46, also known as the Alley Pond School, is scheduled to start this week, officials said Wednesday.

The expansion will add 440 seats for students in preschool through fifth grade — nearly doubling the school's enrollment — and make the entire facility accessible thanks to the addition of an elevator, according to the NYC School Construction Authority and City Council Member Barry Grodenchik.

The annex will include more than a dozen new classrooms, art and music rooms, a science resource room, a dining area for students and medical and administrative suites.

It is expected to be ready in time for the 2023-2024 school year, one year later than originally planned.

“This project alleviates overcrowding at PS 46Q so that the school can continue to provide a premier educational experience to students,” Grodenchik said in a prepared statement. “P.S. 46Q is a 2020 National Blue Ribbon school, one of the best in the city. With additional space, the school will surely reach new heights of excellence.”

Work will start with the installation of a temporary fence around the school playground and a temporary ramp on 219th Street, officials said.

The area will have around-the-clock security to ensure that only essential personnel have access to the construction site, the School Construction Authority wrote in a letter to the school community.

Construction hours will be weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and work inside the existing building will only be done after school hours.

Families with questions about the project may call School Construction Authority External Affairs Manager Benjamin J. Goodman at 718-472-8026.