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Civic gurus approve plan to redesign dangerous Canarsie intersection
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
A plan to make
Canarsie streets safer is speeding
along.
Local civic gurus gave the
city their blessing last week
to overhaul a problematic
Canarsie street corner.
Community Board 18
voted unanimously to
approve a plan for the
redesign of Seaview
Avenue and E. 80th Street
— a problematic intersection
plagued with safety
hazards and where 10 injuries
have occurred in recent
years, said a Department of
Transportation official.
“The DOT has identified
several safety issues with
this intersection,” said Project
Manager Lauren Martin.
“There are many factors
that create really dangerous
conditions.”
The Department sought
the community board’s permission
to address the intersection’s
troublesome features,
including overly wide
roadways and inadequate
traffic signals.
“With those really wide
roadways, you not only have
people crossing these really
long distances, but it
also promotes speeding,”
said Martin. “We also have
a multi-lane, all-way stop,
where there aren’t designated
directions for each
lane, which creates a ton of
confusion.”
To alleviate the speeding
concerns, the department
proposed reducing
PROPOSED: The DOT presented locals with a rendering of its proposed plan on April 17. Department of Transportation
both roads to one lane each
for a block prior to the intersection,
and replacing the
former lane with back-in,
vertical parking.
The Department also proposed
adding pedestrian
walkways to the intersection,
which borders Canarsie
Park, according to
Martin.
“There are several missing
crossings here. There
are plenty of entrances to
the park, but no way to cross
to get to them,” she said. “So,
it is part of DOT’s mission to
fill in these gaps, and to focus
on allowing people to get
to the park safely.”
The plan would also include
expanding the sidewalk
further into the
street, allowing for shorter
crossing distances.
“In order to make these
crosswalks safe, and a
shorter distance, we are proposing
to realign the curb,
by building painted pedestrian
stations,” said Martin.
The community board, at
its April 17 meeting, opted
to give its approval for the
plan, which is slated to begin
construction in the coming
months.
“Overall, the benefits
are clarifying vehicular
movements, reduce speeding,
calming the traffic,
and creating safer, shorter,
pedestrian crossings,” said
Martin.
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