Hutch-Metro roadway study; needs
highway on-, off-ramps to relieve traffi c
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DOT approves MP ‘road diet’ over community opposition
From page 1
He added that he expects traffi c “to
slow to a crawl.”
The MPCA will consult with an
attorney to look into possibly taking
the city to court to seek an injunction
against the plan, said D’Angelo.
D’Angelo also said that he expects
small businesses and local shoppers
who park along the commercial corridor
to be impacted.
The MPCA had a well-attended
town hall meeting on Wednesday, November
28, with almost all present opposing
the road plan.
At that meeting, Assemblyman
Michael Benedetto, Assemblywoman
Nathalia Fernandez and Councilman
Mark Gjonaj all said they would support
the community in their opposition.
“I, alongside other elected offi cials
in the community, have been against
the establishment of the road diet,”
said Fernandez. “However, our protests
fell upon deaf ears; it is incredibly
frustrating when the community’s
input is asked for but then ignored.”
“The administration’s insistence
on pursuing a road diet of Morris Park
Avenue, despite intense community
opposition, is just a continuation of
the ‘City Hall knows best’ approach
we’ve all become accustomed to,” said
Gjonaj, who added that he will work
with DOT and the community to come
The Morris Park Avenue “road diet” plan’s approval has some in the community contemplating next moves. Under the plan, the traffi c pattern
of Morris Park Avenue would be greatly altered for one and a half miles. Schneps Community News Group / Patrick Rocchio
up with a solution that doesn’t harm
quality of life.
MPCA’s petition effort garnered
over 1,000 signatures opposing the
DOT plan, said D’Angelo.
According to DOT, from 2012 to
2016, there were 317 injuries on Morris
Park Avenue in the road diet area,
with 26 of them rated serious.
“The city made the decision to move
forward with this design because it is
the one that offers the greatest protection
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 98 ECEMBER 14-20, 2018 BTR
to the largest number of street
users,” said a DOT spokesman. “This
redesign will reduce speeding, facilitate
safer left turns, make pedestrians
more visible to drivers and minimize
double parking on a retail corridor.”
DOT statistics show that traffi c
calming doesn’t signifi cantly increase
travel times, and by decreasing double
parking, maintains traffi c fl ow despite
having one fewer lane, the spokesman
stated.
Amril Hamer, Bronx organizer for
Transportation Alternatives, an organization
that promotes pedestrian
safety, said that she was glad that DOT
decided to go with its original plan for
Morris Park Avenue, as it had gone
through several iterations over the
past year.
“They should keep in mind that we
are thinking about the safety of the
community,” she said.
get for the connecting roadway
and related DOT improvements
at $53,642,671.
Additionally, other related
projects included in the study
were sewer and water main
work along the Hutchinson
River Parkway and the new
roadways.
Also included was a new
NYC Department of Environmental
Protection sewer line
between Fink Avenue and
Westchester Creek.
Those two parts of the overall
projected project were estimated
to cost just over $24
million and $35 million respectively
in the city’s Fiscal
Year 2022, bringing the total
projected cost to$127,939,521.
The roadways under consideration
would divert traffi c
away from Waters Place, currently
the main thoroughfare
that accesses Marconi Place,
a street that leads in and out
of major commercial developments,
said Michelle Torrioni,
Pelham Bay Taxpayers Association
president.
“A link from the Hutchinson
River Parkway for the
people who work at the center
and who go there for doctor’s
appointments is a great idea
and would alleviate a lot of the
traffi c on Waters Place,” said
Torrioni, though she stressed
she isn’t a traffi c expert and
wondered how such a project
would be funded.
Jeremy Warneke, Community
Board 11 district manager,
said that those board
members who are aware of the
possible new infrastructure
are supportive.
A local activist who was
part of the grassroots East
Bronx Traffi c Coalition effort
when the study began, John
Doyle, said his primary concern
was the cost.
Kelleher said that a direct
roadway link to the Hutchinson
River Parkway proposal
goes back as many as 15
years.
He also said that he believes
that EMS and FDNY vehicles
would have an easier time accessing
the campus that has
7,500 workers and 3,400 daily
visitors.
A DOT spokeswoman stated
about the study: “The city has
no current or future plans to
construct the ramps.”
A conceptual plan was studied concerning possible additional roads and
other infrastructure improvements near the Hutchinson River Parkway
and Marconi Street. File photo
A recently completed NYC DOTsponsored
study looked at the
possibility of creating a new road
that would link the Hutchinson River
Parkway to Marconi Street, seen
here running through the Hutchinson
Metro Center complex.
Schneps Community News Group /
Patrick Rocchio