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|  Motorists Citywide Congested Corridors Study Project Summary |  | ||
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| The Citywide Congested Corridors Project is a planning study of fourteen busy roadways across five boroughs, with the goals of improving mobility, air quality, safety, and the quality of life for all of the street's users, as described in PlaNYC. The study will be consistent with the City's goal of building “Complete Streets” that accommodate the needs of all street users including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users and motorists, all of whom contribute to the livability and economic vibrancy of the areas. This Project plans to not only study these corridors, but also to implement the resulting recommendations to ensure that congestion is reduced and quality of life is improved. Study Goals and Objectives:
Study Process:
In Progress (follow the links for study information and comment forms):
Future Study Areas (brief synopses below):
The Bronx
The section of East Gun Hill Road selected for this study is a stretch between White Plains Road and Jerome Avenue. The corridor is north of the New York Botanical Gardens and south of the Woodlawn cemetery. Montefiore Medical Center lies just east of Jerome Avenue on this corridor. East Gun Hill Road is a major connector to the Bronx River Parkway in the east and the Mosholu Parkway in the west. The corridor is characterized by a mix of upper-floor residential with ground level retail land uses.
East Gun Hill Road is a designated local truck route from Broadway in the west to the New England Throughway in the east. There is an elevated 2/5 subway station at White Plains Road, and a 4 train station at Jerome Avenue. The Williams Bridge Metro North station is located just west of the Bronx River Parkway entrance/exit. The BX10, BX28, BX30, BX41 and BX55 bus routes all operate along a portion of the study corridor.
This 2.5 mile long east-west corridor begins at the western border of the Bronx Park. It runs through the western half of the Bronx and covers East and West Fordham Road. Fordham Road is characterized by a mix of residential and commercial land uses and is a designated local truck route and a planned corridor for the Bus Rapid Transit Project.
Transit characteristics include the operation of the following MTA-NYCT buses: Bx9, Bx12, Bx17 and Bx22. Fordham Road is also the southernmost point in services provided by the Westchester B-Line transit system and the BL60, BL61, BL62 and BL90. Notable locations of connections with rail transit lines include Jerome Avenue with the No. 4 subway and on Grand Concourse with the B and D trains. Major facilities on the eastern section of this corridor include the Bronx Zoo and Fordham University, both of which are major traffic generators. Overall, the major challenge along this corridor is to balance pedestrian and vehicular needs on this crowded roadway.
Brooklyn
The section of Flatbush Avenue to be studied runs north-south through the middle of Brooklyn. Flatbush Avenue is a major connector to the Belt Parkway,, Kings Highway, and the Rockaways south of the study corridor and Prospect Park, Downtown Brooklyn, and the Manhattan Bridge north of the study corridor. It is characterized by a mix of heavy local retail, residential and institutional uses. There are high pedestrian volumes along the entire corridor and particularly at the southern end where Brooklyn College is located and at the major intersection with Nostrand Avenue known as the Junction. A new Target retail store is also under development at the Junction.
Flatbush Avenue is a designated local truck route between Empire Boulevard and Church Avenue; south of Church Avenue it becomes a through truck route. There are two subway stops located on this corridor at Empire Boulevard (B/Q/S) and at Nostrand Avenue (2/5), the northernmost and southernmost boundaries. There is also a subway stop one block off of Flatbush Avenue on Parkside Avenue (B/Q). There are two bus routes along this stretch of Flatbush Avenue; the B41 operates along the entire study corridors and the B103 operates from Cortelyou Road to Avenue H. There is also commuter van service along the corridor.
The Nostrand Avenue corridor runs north-south and reaches the southern tip of Brooklyn at Emmons Avenue. It is characterized by a mix of residential and commercial land uses. There are high pedestrian volumes at many points along and particularly at the intersection with Flatbush Avenue where Brooklyn College is located and where new retail development is occurring.
Nostrand Avenue is a truck route from Atlantic Avenue to the Junction with Flatbush Avenue. The B44 bus that traverses the corridor is heavily used, and is a planned Bus Rapid Transit corridor, which may involve shifts in how the roadway is used. It intersects subway stations at Fulton Street (A/C) and at Flatbush Avenue (2/5).
Broadway in Brooklyn leads directly to the Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan and is a major connector to the Brooklyn Queens Expressway in the west and the Jackie Robinson Parkway in the east. The corridor is characterized by traditional storefronts, constrained street widths and light to moderate pedestrian volumes. Woodhull Hospital is also along the corridor.
The entire length of the study area is a designated local truck route. The J, M and Z trains run on elevated tracks along this corridor, and the G, A, C, and L trains also make stops within the study area. The B20, B46, B47 and Q24 bus routes all operate along some portion of this corridor, with buses joining the corridor as they go towards the Williamsburg Bridge bus depot.
Manhattan
Fourteenth Street in Manhattan is a major crosstown route characterized by a mix of heavy retail and residential land uses. The center of the corridor functions as the lower boundary of the Midtown CBD, while the east and west sides serve very dense residential development, as well as parks and plazas.
From First Avenue to the West Side Highway, 14th Street is a designated local truck route. Union Square is a major pedestrian generator and a destination for the N, Q, R, W, L, 4, 5 and 6 subway lines. The 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, F and V lines also have stops on 14th Street and there is PATH access at 6th Avenue. The L train provides crosstown service under 14th street with stops at First Avenue, Third Avenue, Union Square, Sixth Avenue and Eighth Avenue. The M14A, M14D, M11, M9 and M7 bus routes all operate along some portion of 14th Street. Crosstown bus speeds are cause for concern here.
West 96th Street is a major crosstown street serving as a connection to the Henry Hudson Parkway. It is mostly a dense residential corridor, with major retail concentrations where it intersects the north-south avenues. The corridor serves a large amount of through traffic, due to its connections to both a Central Park Transverse Roadway, and the parkway.
The corridor is a local truck route from Central Park to Broadway. The area is served by the 1, 2, 3, B, and C subway lines and the M96 and M106 bus routes. The area around Broadway in particular has very high pedestrian volumes and crossing, due in part to the express subway station located there. The entryway to that station is proposed to be rebuilt in the next couple of years.
Queens
This corridor runs east-west route in northern Queens and provides a major connection to the Queensboro Bridge. The corridor has direct access to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in the east, a location that has undergone a massive reconstruction, and to the Manhattan CBD by way of the Queensboro Bridge in the west. The reconstruction of the BQE has resulted in a change in traffic patterns at the intersection, especially for motorists wishing to access the expressway toward Brooklyn.
Northern Boulevard is a wide corridor with significant auto-related and large, stand-alone commercial retail stores. There are light pedestrian volumes and some residential land uses. The corridor is also a through truck route. There are three subway stops along this portion of Northern Boulevard where the R, V and G trains can be accessed and an N/W station one block away on 39th Ave. The Q101 and Q66 bus routes operate along a portion of the study corridor.
The stretch of east-west Liberty Avenue to be studied connects the Van Wyck Expressway to Woodhaven Boulevard, a major north-south artery that is also a Congested Corridor study area. The street has mostly retail land uses, and is surrounded by residential areas that are dense at times. The road has one travel lane and one parking lane in each direction, so it is easily impacted by double parking, typically by commercial vehicles.
The Q112 bus route operates along this corridor and the elevated A train has four stops along this portion of Liberty Avenue. Pedestrian volumes are mostly moderate, but high around the subway entrances, particularly evenings and weekends when shopping activity increases.
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