CNG Watch: Carlton Avenue Bridge delay in Brooklyn Paper, not Courier-Life, which proclaims that arena construction begins

This week's Brooklyn Paper, in its article on streets being closed to further construction of the Atlantic Yards arena--before legal challenges are resolved--mentions, albeit almost as an aside, that the Carlton Avenue Bridge would not reopen until April 2012, far longer than originally promised, as I reported.

And is that included in the report (posted first on the New York Post's web site) from the Courier-Life's notorious Stephen Witt? No.

A scoop?

In fact, Witt, thanks to a source (the developer?) unwilling to be quoted by name, declares that Construction on Barclays Arena commences, a conceptual scoop somehow not grasped by anyone else in the media:

If it looks like construction, sounds like construction and money is spent on construction, then it’s a good bet that the Barclays Center arena at the Atlantic/Flatbush avenues intersection is already under construction.

...“We’re in the process of setting up a ceremonial groundbreaking, but we’ve already begun the work,” said sources.

That work has begun is particularly obvious to anyone who goes near the intersection where the arena and 22-acre Atlantic Yards project is slated.

Besides signage, a truss has been erected and workers are busy with infrastructure sewer and pipeline work.

Actually, infrastructure work has been going on for quite a while.

Neither newspaper, of course, reported on the news coming from state Senator Bill Perkins's oversight hearing on eminent domain January 5.