Prospect Heights Sewer Project Won't Close Open Streets: City

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — An upcoming sewer project that locals feared would close down their Open Street on Underhill Avenue has been designed so the street can stay open, Patch learned this week.

The news comes after the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council — first told the project could shut down three of five blocks of the Open Street for months at a time — met with city officials this week to ensure the beloved outdoor space could stay open.

The sewer project is run by the city's Department of Design and Construction slated to start in May.

"After meeting with DDC field engineers and contractors and [the Department of Transportation], we have agreed that the Underhill Avenue open street will continue to operate during the planned construction," PHNDC Secretary Gib Veconi told Patch.

The sewer project, aimed at improving water service and reducing flooding, will mean construction along stretches of Park Place, Underhill Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue at least until next summer, according to the city.

On Underhill, the DDC will avoid closing the Open street by completing construction one side of the street at a time, according to the department.

The popular outdoor dining Open Street on Vanderbilt will run as planned given that the project will take place on the blocks just beyond the Open Street's barrier on Park Place. Construction is slated for Vanderbilt between Park Place and Sterling Place, officials said.

DDC said no full street closures are expected.

"Traffic and access throughout the project area will remain open during construction and there will be no full street closures," a spokesperson told Patch.

The update comes as welcome news for the Underhill Open Street, which, like other Open Streets in Brooklyn, has faced challenges from opponents of the program. The Open Streets program was started at the height of the coronavirus pandemic to allow for more outdoor space and dining opportunities and has since been made permanent.