By Madina Toure
The city Department of Transportation announced traffic calming measures in conjunction with MTA Bridges and Tunnels’ anticipated reopening of the Third Avenue exit ramp at the Whitestone Expressway.
DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, along with state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and City Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside), announced plans to install bollards, or short posts that identify an area to guide traffic and safeguard vulnerable spots, for additional traffic calming.
“Local intelligence is critical to creating smart, safer designs for streets,” Trottenberg said in a statement. “Our ongoing conversations with the community and these elected leaders led to this important safety upgrade which will make vehicles slow down as they approach residential streets.”
Flexible delineators will be added once the ramp opens to deter speeding as vehicles exit. The DOT received local input from civic organizations such as We Love Whitestone, Welcome to Whitestone and the Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Civic Association in the design of the project.
MTA Bridges and Tunnels expects to reopen the exit by the end of May.
The ramp was closed to traffic in 2013 as part of a $109 million MTA Bridges and Tunnels reconstruction of the bridge’s Queens approach and the reformation of the roadway superstructure.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
