Proposed changes to Northern Boulevard (DOT)
April 18, 2019 By Meghan Sackman
The DOT is about to start installing pedestrian islands and ramps between 70th Street and 92nd Street along Northern Boulevard.
Concrete pedestrian islands will be installed at 70th Street, 72nd Street, 74th Street, 77th Street, 81st Street, 85th Street, 87th Street, 90th Street, 91st Street, and 92nd Street, the agency said.
Pedestrian ramps between 70th Street and 92nd Street will be upgraded as well.
These improvements come at a time when the DOT is making a push to redesign the roadway under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2014 Vision Zero Action Plan.
Last October, the DOT held a series of public workshops to gain feedback as to how the boulevard could be made safer. The agency noted at the time that there had been eight pedestrian deaths along the stretch from Jan 1, 2012, to Sept. 15, 2018, between 68th Street and the entrance to the Grand Central Parkway.
The agency is in the midst of coming up with a comprehensive redesign.
An interactive map of Northern Boulevard, available on the DOT’s website, was also created for residents to comment and give tips on which parts of Northern they thought needed to be reevaluated for pedestrian safety purposes.
According to a tweet put out by DOT, the upcoming improvements to Northern Boulevard will help with pedestrian accessibility, create safer pedestrian crossings, and create slower, safer turns. These are just some of the changes that are in the works.
This month we’ll begin #VisionZero safety improvements at Northern Blvd, 70th St to 92nd St that will:
♿ Improve pedestrian accessibility
? Create safer pedestrian crossings
? Add new concrete islands
➡ Create slower safer turns pic.twitter.com/hNcgjK484V— NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) April 17, 2019
Northern Boulevard Interactive Map (DOT)
