Nov. 12, 2015 By Jackie Strawbridge
Local elected officials will host a workshop-style discussion with neighbors and the Department of Transportation next month regarding a dangerous section of Astoria Boulevard.
The traffic safety planning session will collect the community’s ideas on how to improve safety on Astoria Boulevard from 77th Street to 92nd Street, the corridor running under the Grand Central Parkway and LaGuardia Airport. Attendees will break into small groups to collaborate.
Councilman Costa Constantinides and Assemblyman Michael DenDekker will co-sponsor the event with the DOT at 7 p.m. on Dec. 2 at Bruno’s on the Boulevard, 88-25 Astoria Blvd.
Constantinides said traffic safety in this area has long been a concern for neighbors.
“This is a very trafficked road… between the Grand Central Parkway and the Long Island Expressway and the Whitestone Expressway,” he said. “Just looking there, there are a lot of conditions that we can do better, and it behooves us to move quickly.”
City data shows a history of collisions leading to injuries at almost every intersection on Astoria Boulevard between 77th and 92nd Street.
In particular, Constantinides said, there are worries about safe street crossings for pedestrians. The workshop will focus in part on the distance between crossings, creating new crossings, and possible locations for traffic lights or stop signs.
The DOT will evaluate input collected at the workshop as the agency puts together a “comprehensive” and “long-term” safety plan for the corridor and surrounding areas, Constantinides said.
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