Until now, Queens Plaza — which extends from the bridge to Northern Boulevard — has been a jumbled maze of bumpy streets, messy intersections, pot-hole-ridden pavement and screeching elevated subways. When the project is completed, which officials say should be in late 2010, the traffic network will be realigned, trees will line the roadways, landscaped medians will afford passers-by a place to sit and bike paths and pedestrian walkways will snake their way through greenery.
   “This will do more to change the character of Long Island City than any other government investment in a generation,” said Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-Queens and Manhattan), who secured nearly $10 million for the project. “This project will make this community more attractive, accessible and desirable, bringing more people and businesses to this area. Best of all, it will transform Queens Plaza into a welcoming gateway for the greatest city in the world.”
   The Queens Plaza Streetscape Improvement Project comes in conjunction with the renovation of Jackson Avenue, which began last fall and will leave the street with a landscaped median as well as new sidewalks, lighting and seating. Together, the two projects will bring more than 500 new trees to L.I.C.
   Officials say the streetscape improvements will encourage people to spend time in the neighborhood.
   “Long Island City ... has been for many years a place that people have passed through,” said Seth Pinsky, president of the city’s Economic Development Corporation. About 200,000 motorists pass through the area each day — but they rarely stay. The Queens Plaza and Jackson Avenue projects are meant to make the area “a place that people linger in, a place that people stay in, that they make their homes in and that they start their businesses in,” Pinsky said.
   City Planning Commissioner Amanda Burden said the plaza will be transformed into “an incredible green gateway into the heart of Long Island City.” The leafy canopy of trees will help muffle noise from traffic and trains, Burden said, and “will be a cool place to sit and reflect, ... provide shade and lots of plentiful seating to take a break during lunch.”
   While most agree that Queens Plaza in its current manifestation isn’t much to brag about, some think the renovation project is not the best use of city funds. One L.I.C. resident who attended the groundbreaking on Monday said he doubts Queens Plaza will become tranquil, given that cars and subways will still clatter by. He said he would rather see new green space a few blocks away in an area further removed from the din.
   The Queens Plaza project is getting more than $30 million in federal stimulus funding, with the city and other federal programs footing the remainder of the bill. The project is expected to create more than 1,700 construction jobs.