People looking to get from North Corona to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Citi Field, and the Flushing Bay Promenade have to navigate the confusing intersection of 34th Avenue and 114th Street, find a small, poorly-maintained path, and cross a high-speed ramp from the Grand Central Parkway without even a crosswalk. Now construction has started on a DOT project to provide more space and clearer routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
The plan [PDF], presented to Community Board 3 in June, widens the intersection's concrete median to shorten crossing distances, adds markings directing cyclists through the intersection, stripes crosswalks, and adds stop signs, curb ramps, and pedestrian crossing signals.
Earlier this week, Clarence stopped by the area. Construction crews have already cordoned off the median and have begun removing asphalt to expand the concrete refuge. "Until the [Flushing Bay] Promenade existed, in the late 1990s sometimes the TA Century used this crossing," Clarence writes. "I remember how we used to 'gulp' when standing there watching cars fly by at 40-plus mph with no crosswalk!"
In spring 2017, Stephen wrote for Streetsblog USA, covering the livable streets movement and transportation policy developments around the nation.
From August 2012 to October 2015, he was a reporter for Streetsblog NYC, covering livable streets and transportation issues in the city and the region. After joining Streetsblog, he covered the tail end of the Bloomberg administration and the launch of Citi Bike. Since then, he covered mayoral elections, the de Blasio administration's ongoing Vision Zero campaign, and New York City's ever-evolving street safety and livable streets movements.
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