story and photos by Robert Pozarycki
Improving traffic flow and safety along Woodhaven Boulevard were the focus of a public hearing held by the city’s Department of Trans-portation on Monday, May 19 in Forest Hills, as community residents offered their suggestions on where changes are needed along the roadway.
The session at the Forest Hills public library was the first of a series of public hearings regarding the Woodhaven Boulevard Congested Corridors Project launched by the DOT to formulate short- and long-term solutions to traffic control and safety issues along the roadway running between Elmhurst and Ozone Park.
Following a brief overview of the initiative from Queens Transportation Commissioner Maura McCarthy and other members of the DOT and the Urbitran design firm, attendees broke into three separate groups with transportation experts to brainstorm ideas on the most pressing problems faced by commuters each day and points along the thoroughfare where improvements are needed.Among those in attendance were representatives of the MTA, which operates several local, express and limited bus lines that traverse the roadway, and members of Community Boards 5, 6, 9 and 10, sections of which encompass the study area.
Woodhaven Boulevard—which runs between Queens Boulevard and Liberty Avenue—is one of 14 roadways across the five boroughs being studied by the DOT as part of the Citywide Congested Corridors project. According to the DOT, the project aims to formulate goals for “improving mobility, air quality, safety and the quality of life for all of the street’s users as described” in the city’s master plan for the year 2030, PlaNYC.
McCarthy informed the Times Newsweekly that the boulevard was chosen by the agency for the study at the request of Borough President Helen Marshall, who provided funding for the project. The agency also plans to study other roadways in the borough in future years, including Liberty Avenue between Woodhaven Boulevard and the Van Wyck Expressway; and Northern Boulevard between Queens Plaza and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
At the conclusion of the 18-month study in 2009, the commissioner indicated that the department will make a number of short-term improvements to the roadway based on its findings and recommendations. Additional funding would be sought for any large-scale changes that may be deemed necessary.
‘A critical corridor’
During an overview of the goals of the boulevard project and statistics gathered from a preliminary study, Urbitran Senior Vice President Jerry Gluck presented some of the preliminary findings from the study of the roadway, which indicated a high rate of accidents at several locations as well as heavy volumes of traffic during rush hour periods.
In a three-year period between 2004 and 2006, Gluck reported, a total of 402 accidents occurred along the 3.2-mile roadway, the majority of which happened at major intersections. These crashes were reported to local police precincts and resulted in a fatality and/or damages exceeding $1,000 to one or more of the vehicles involved.
The number of accidents rose each year during the three-year study, from 109 in 2004 to 136 in 2005 and 157 in 2006.
Most of the incidents during the study period occurred at the intersection of Union Turnpike and Woodhaven Boulevard, where 72 were tallied. Close behind it were at Jamaica Avenue (70) and Queens Boulevard (69).
Board 10 Chairperson Betty Braton questioned why the study excluded accident date regarding the boulevard’s intersections with Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue. Project manager Andrew Lenton pointed out that both crossroads were added to the study after it was commissioned, and a full analysis was not yet available.
The roadway has proven to be “a critical corridor” for a wide-range of traffic traveling between points in northern and southern Queens, Gluck stated. Woodhaven Boulevard serves as a local truck route and accommodates numerous bus lines including the local Q11, the limited Q53 and seven express routes.
Even so, traffic during peak periods moves at a reduced speed along the stretch, according to Gluck. The study indicated that the slowest traffic northbound can be experienced during morning rush hour periods; the average speed attained by drivers was 11.4 m.p.h., resulting in a 19 minute drive along the full length of Woodhaven Boulevard.
The slowest period for southbound traffic was during the evening rush, as drivers attained a top speed of 15.9 m.p.h., resulting in a 13 minute drive along the boulevard’s full length.
Calls for changes
During the brainstorming session, attendees were divided into three groups to review the boulevard’s existing conditions while recommending areas of the roadway that are in need of improvement. A DOT employee that sat in with each group read a list of top priorities that members believed should be addressed as part of the study.
Matthew Roe, whose group included members of Community Board 6, an MTA Bus Company representative and local residents, stated that members suggested that the location of bus stops near some major intersections often contributed to congestion. Additionally, “pedestrian mobility” at some locations—including the overpass above the Long Island Rail Road’s Montauk branch in Glendale—is difficult due to a lack of a sidewalk on one side of the street.
Queens commissioner of the Department of Transportation Maura McCarthy (standing at right) is shown addressing attendees at the start of a public hearing on Monday, May 17 in Forest Hills regarding the Woodhaven Boulevard Congested Corridor Project.
Many of the drivers that use Woodhaven Boulevard during rush hour periods often commute to and from subway stations throughout Queens, according to the group’s list. It was noted that group members believed that many of these drivers would opt to leave their cars at home if another mode of public transportation was made available.
Other problems along the boulevard on the list included:
• Bus delays near the intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and Hoffman Drive in Elmhurst due to the latter roadway’s use by drivers as an alternate route from Queens Boulevard.
• Increased use of Woodhaven Boulevard by truckers seeking to avoid the Van Wyck Expressway. Trucks making local deliveries are permitted to use the boulevard, but trucks traveling through the area are required by law to use the expressway.
• Limited connectivity between buses traveling north and south on Woodhaven Boulevard with buses traveling east and west along major arteries including Metropolitan, Myrtle, Jamaica and Atlantic avenues.
A table of Board 5 members, who were represented by the DOT’S Adam Zaranko, stated that one of the major problems drivers face on the boulevard is a lack of continuity in the road’s structure. Lanes in both directions are merged and divided at various points, causing confusion for drivers seeking to access local streets.
Group members also stated that pedestrians often face danger crossing at certain major intersections with short-timed traffic signals, including near the off ramp from the eastbound Long Island Expressway. They also stated that the boulevard’s dimensions also made it difficult for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel along points throughout the corridor.
The third table of group members represented by the DOT’s William Vallejo, noted that the roadway’s grading and median structure posed the greatest difficulty to drivers. At points along the street, drivers can encounter narrow concrete medians as well as sharp turns and a “lack of connection” to and from the main and service roads through Woodhaven and Ozone Park.
Members also suggested that the timing of certain stoplights also posed a problem to pedestrians and bicyclists seeking to safely cross major intersections at a timely manner.
What’s next?
Monday’s session, as noted, was only the first in a series of public meetings and other outreach programs being undertaken by the DOT to solicit public comment regarding the Woodhaven Boulevard project. The suggestions offered by attendees will be incorporated into the ongoing study.
Gluck indicated that a second public meeting will be held in either September or October, during which the DOT will provide further analysis of the boulevard as well as the recommendations for changes made. The DOT’s recommendations for improvements to the boulevard will be made at a third public meeting toward the end of this year.
Additionally, he noted, the DOT will hold a community “walk/drive through” along the full length of the boulevard in mid-June in which transportation officials and experts will tour the roadway with local residents to get a broader picture of some of the problems faced.
Additional information on the project can be found online at www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/motorist/woodhavenblvd.html. Comments on the study can also be e-mailed to the DOT at congestedcorridors@dot. nyc.gov.
