The “Boulevard of Death” is going to get a little safer this month.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) is set to begin phase two of its Queens Boulevard Street Improvement Project, which will make the corridor between 74th Street to Eliot Avenue in Elmhurst safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike.
The second phase of the project will calm traffic on the service roads, improve safety conditions for everyone who uses the road, eliminate the highway-like design features of Queens Boulevard, and shorten crossing distances for pedestrians.
In order to accomplish these goals, DOT will make the following changes:
- Install protected pedestrian pathways and bicycle lanes along service road medians;
- Install bus-only markings for the bus stop on the westbound side of the Queens Boulevard service road in front of the Queens Center mall;
- Improve the signal timing at Broadway and Grand Avenue;
- Redesign the slip lanes between the mainline and service roads;
- Install pedestrian improvements at 90th Street;
- Install new mall-to-mall crosswalks to connect the service road medians; and
- Install new crosswalks at Eliot Avenue.
According to DOT, these proposed changes came about due to community feedback, as well as crash statistics, which showed that between 2010 to 2014, this stretch of the corridor saw 777 total injuries and 5 fatalities.
DOT plans to begin implementation of these features on Monday, July 25, depending on weather.
