New traffic controls are coming to a hectic Flushing crossing, lawmakers announced this week.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) will install a traffic signal at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 150th Place by the end of the year. The new signal was finally approved the week of Aug. 27 after lawmakers met with DOT, who at first deemed the traffic control unnecessary, and called for a reassessment of the site.
The intersection is located in an active commercial corridor home to businesses including H&Y Supermarket, the Korea Village shopping center, banks and other retail storefronts.
Councilman Peter Koo, who announced the new light on Sept. 5, said the signal was “the best way” to improve the area’s traffic conditions.
“Without a doubt, this traffic signal will prevent accidents, reduce congestion, and save lives,” he said. “This is a very busy commercial corridor on Northern Boulevard where traffic simply needed more controls to ensure everyone’s safety.”
“Any opportunity we have to make our roadways safer for drivers and pedestrians, it is important that we take care of it before someone gets hurt,” state Senator Toby Stavisky said. “I want to thank [DOT] Commissioner Garcia, Councilman Koo, and community leaders for working to make the streets of Flushing that much safer for us all.”
The Korean American Association of Queens and the Murray Hill Merchant Association were also active in the fight for the light, according to Koo.
State Senator Tony Avella, who said he too has been pushing for a signal over the last few years, was happy to hear the news.
“As someone who has personally experienced the safety risks posed to pedestrians at this intersection, I can say without a doubt that a traffic signal was seriously needed at this location,” Avella said. “This location is also home to Korea Village, a popular shopping center in the Korean-American community, which makes additional traffic controls all the more necessary. I am sure that when this signal is finally installed it will ease the worries of pedestrians and drivers alike.”
