STATEN ISLAND TRAFFIC & TRANSPORTATION

Traveling our expressways, roads, highways, and mass transit

MTA Bridges and TunnelsThe Brooklyn-bound side of the Lily Pond toll plaza shows off new striping, following the completion of work on both sides of the plaza.

Work on the Lily Pond Avenue overpass that forms the toll plaza of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was finished today after a two-year-long, $18 million rehabilitation project.

The work involved shifting traffic patterns around the plaza, while the 420-foot-wide bridge was removed and replaced in segments. The overpass was also reinforced, with new bearings installed to bring the structure up to the city's seismic code, and its electrical components were replaced.

The original toll plaza had dated back to 1964 when the Verrazano was opened to traffic.

"As always, we appreciate the patience of our customers during this major, necessary rehabilitation, which will ensure the roadway's long-term safe and efficient use for our 190,000 daily customers," said David Moretti, the acting president of MTA Bridges and Tunnels, which operates the Verrazano.

The contractor was El Sol, of Maspeth, Queens.

New York City police say an unidentified person has been struck and killed by a subway train.

Emergency vehicles responded to a motorcycle accident near the intersection of Hylan Boulevard and Holdridge Avenue in Annadale, near Mike's Place diner.

Both the driver of the motorcycle and a car, also involved in the accident, were treated by emergency service technicians and removed to an area hospital.

The motorcyclist, though he flew off his bike, is conscious and expected to do fine.

Advance photo/Frank J. JohnsTwo ferries take part in an FDNY drill.

The radio reports of a fire in the engine room of a Staten Island Ferryboat were actually the byproduct of a drill, officials confirmed moments ago.

Advance file photoSix people were hurt when an SUV slammed into an S74 bus at Richmond Road and Seaview Avenue on Tuesday.

The traffic light in Staten Island's Dongan Hills section which was blamed in a car crash on Tuesday was working before the accident, according to a Department of Transportation spokesman.

The outage occurred when one of the cars involved hit a control panel, according to the spokesman. The light was originally repaired Tuesday and was briefly out of service yesterday as a contractor made additional repairs.

Police units have wrapped up their pursuit of a blue Cadillac whose driver apparently fired shots at another car on the North Shore earlier this morning. The cops located the car on the lower level of the Brooklyn-bound side of the span, pulled the car over and arrested the driver.

The incident caused some traffic delays.

No further information was immediately available.

The WTC Report will likely include a recommendation that all No. 1 trains south of Chambers street be closed for several months during the rebuilding efforts. (Staten Island Advance)

Staten Island commuters endured a frustrating trek to Manhattan's West Side for a year when the No. 1 and 9 subway lines were shut down after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack

They could be in for more of the same in the not-too-distant future.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is expected tomorrow to recommend closing the No. 1 subway line south of Chambers Street, down to the South Ferry station, for a series of months, as early as summer, according to a report in the New York Observer, citing unnamed sources.