DOT
March 16, 2016 By Jackie Strawbridge
The DOT will build more than a dozen pedestrian islands and implement other safety upgrades along a 1.3-mile stretch of Northern Boulevard.
The agency presented its plan to improve the corridor from Honeywell Street to Broadway at Community Board 1’s monthly meeting Tuesday, which was approved by the Board.
DOT statistics indicate that this stretch of Northern Boulevard is particularly dangerous. More than 260 vehicle occupants, 40 pedestrians and 20 cyclists were injured here between 2010 and 2014. Ten pedestrians have been killed or severely injured on this road.
DOT
A major element of the DOT’s safety project is the construction of 14 pedestrian islands at intersections on Northern Boulevard between Honeywell and Broadway.
At these intersections, the existing 10-foot buffer between east and westbound traffic will be converted into pedestrian islands to shorten crossing distances.
The DOT will also change traffic flow on a handful of streets.
48th and 49th Streets, which currently run southbound and northbound, respectively, will both switch directions between Northern Boulevard and Broadway in order to reduce conflicts at 48th Street and Northern. A short leg of 37th Street will be converted from two-way to a one-way entrance onto Northern Boulevard.
For safer pedestrian crossing, curb extensions and expanded triangles will be implemented at Northern Boulevard’s intersections with 37th Street, 48th Street, Newtown Road and Woodside Avenue.
CB 1’s transportation committee chair Bob Piazza called the planned upgrades “long overdue.”
The project is expected to start in July 2016 and to be phased over the next two years, according to the DOT. A spokesman could not immediately say where on the road construction will start.
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9 Comments
My bad, the other woman has red on. Shes cute too
The little cutie in the red dress is the only one crossing legally. Brains and beauty, good combo
Building pedestrian islands and implementing other upgrades are all well and good. But most importantly, how about educating the people about safety in crossing the streets – at film festivals, libraries, outdoor festivals, at the movies, on TV. Going to the schools and talking to the kids about their safety when crossing the streets, and have the kids talk to their parents in their own language. I have seen parents holding their kids’ hands while trying to beat the light when the numbers already reached zero. There are many who come from foreign countries where they do not have street lights, or stop & go signs, or walk & don’t walk signs. There is so much more that the DOE and the DOT can do to make life safer for everyone.
Look at the way people cross the street in the photo no wonder they get run over
Sunnyside Woodside MSP is advocating for a middle school to be built South of Northern Blvd & North of Queens Blvd. With four elementary schools is this area, PS11q, PS150q,PS152q & new PS361q, there are enough students to warrant a local middle school. Where in Woodside is the new school going? It still ought to be south of Northern Blvd even with these improvements. Mayor allocated money. At least he sees the need. He has heard us. When will they build?
I fear for my life every day that I walk on Northern Blvd
Please plant some trees or bushes. This street is so ugly. It will be lovely if there is more of a pedestrian corridor between Sunnyside and Astoria. It is like two villages bisected with a highway that you must run across with fear.
in one of the pictures it looks like there’s a median with trees in it. but then i looked through the actual plans and there wasn’t any medians or trees anywhere. that’s a real shame, i hope they do it. but honestly pretty much anything would be better than the way it is now.
About time. But two years, really?