City officials have asked the Kingston Common Council to approve $600,000 for preliminary design work on a major sewer replacement project on Flatbush and Foxhall avenues. The request comes as the city plans a major overhaul of the intersection and surrounding streets.

In a communication to council President Andrea Shaut, City Engineer John Schultheis said the work would involve replacing sewer lines in three segments: 825 feet on Flatbush Avenue between the railroad tracks and Foxhall, 1,000 feet on Foxhall from Flatbush Avenue to O’Neil Street and 2,800 feet on Foxhall between the railroad tracks and Hasbrouck Avenue. Schultheis said that if approved, the city would hire a consultant to carry out design work this year with an eye towards construction in 2026. Schultheis did not give an estimate for the construction phase of the project, but costs are likely to be significant. In 2021 the city paid $1.1 million to replace 1,350 feet of pipe on Broadway.

Like the Broadway sewer project and another at the site of the traffic circle at the intersection of Broadway and I-587, the proposed replacement of underground infrastructure is intended to avoid having to dig up a newly refurbished street at some future date. The Safe and Accessible Foxhall and Flatbush Avenue project is currently in the design phase and is scheduled to get underway next year. In addition to resurfacing, the project includes installation of two miles of sidewalks and bicycle infrastructure, improvements to pedestrian crossings over the railroad tracks and green infrastructure to reduce stormwater runoff and flooding. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $12.3 million with at least $8.87 million coming from state and federal grants.

"This project is important in order to preserve and improve sanitary sewer service and correct known problems in the system,” Schultheis wrote of the sewer replacement project. “Further, the Safe and Accessible Flatbush and Foxhall project is planned to advance in 2027. By making the sanitary sewer repairs in advance of the streetscape project, we will avoid the need to later cut and disturb new pavement and sidewalks.”