Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release #12-011
NYC DOT To Implement Two-Way Traffic On Liberty Avenue Between 93rd St. And Cross Bay Blvd. On April 24
The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced that two-way traffic flow will be restored to Liberty Avenue between 93rd Street and Cross Bay Boulevard in Ozone Park on Tuesday, April 24. Through traffic will remain restricted, with eastbound Liberty Avenue traffic continuing to be directed to southbound Cross Bay Boulevard. The change follows DOT’s re-evaluation of the one-way, eastbound traffic-flow conversion of that section, which took place in 2010 as part of a larger safety and mobility initiative. That project was designed to enhance safety for all street users and included changes to Liberty Avenue, Rockaway Boulevard and Cross Bay Boulevard. Since implementation, crashes at Cross Bay Boulevard/94th Street and Liberty Avenue have declined by 54%. The agency has continued to monitor the area since the adjustments, and has worked with Council Member Eric Ulrich and Queens Community Board 10 to develop this plan, which restores two-way vehicle access to local businesses and parking. To build on earlier safety and mobility gains, DOT also will be restricting left turns from eastbound Rockaway Boulevard onto northbound Woodhaven Boulevard. This will help reduce pedestrian and motorist conflicts along this well-traveled retail corridor, as well as improve traffic flow.
“Our streets are more than just travel lanes, they also drive our local economy,” said Commissioner Sadik-Khan. “We continue to work with local communities in Ozone Park to engineer streets that are better for business and improve the safety and mobility for everyone using them.”
“DOT is making things right again,” said Council Member Eric Ulrich. “Allowing two-way traffic along Liberty Avenue will boost small businesses there and offer drivers a more convenient commute in and around Ozone Park. I want to thank DOT for listening to the concerns of my constituents. It is just another example of what can be accomplished when elected officials, residents and the Department of Transportation work together to improve our streets.”
“Following the implementation of a number of much-needed measures designed to increase traffic and pedestrian safety at the complex Liberty Avenue/Rockaway Blvd./Woodhaven/Cross Bay Blvd. set of intersections, area residents and local merchants in that vicinity requested that DOT evaluate the results of the changes made and, if feasible, reinstitute two-way traffic on Liberty Avenue between 93 Street and Cross Bay Blvd,” said Betty Braton, Chairperson, Queens Community Board 10. “Community Board 10 is pleased that DOT responded and that the community's request can be accommodated without compromising the overall safety improvements made.”
DOT recently announced new milestones in traffic safety citywide and in Queens. 2011 marked the safest year in the City’s recorded history, the latest in a decade of unprecedented street-safety improvements. In Queens, there were 62 traffic fatalities in 2011, the fewest ever recorded since borough-specific data has been kept. These safety gains are a direct result of strategic safety and mobility redesigns that engineer streets so they are safer for everyone.
For more information about DOT, visit www.nyc.gov/dot.
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