Queens Boulevard Restoration Group

Making QB Safe

Sep 05, 2004

Making QB Safe
For the past four years, city agencies,
particularly, DOT, have been working
on various projects to make Queens
Blvd, the main street of Queens, safer
for both pedestrians and drivers alike.
Turning lanes have been redesigned;
pedestrian crossing times have been
increased; crosswalks have been
revamped with better street markings
and extended medians and sidewalks.
Most of this work has been ongoing
for over four years and has yet to be
officially completed. One major part
of the project is the relocating of all
the light poles at each intersection to
their new positions on the extended
medians.
Unfortunately, due to many technical
and contractor problems this work has
dragged on for several years. Many
intersections have been without
lighting for months at a time. Many

Forest Hills, Rego Park

intersections in Forest Hills and Rego
Park have new medians that have yet
to be filled in with concrete.
Pedestrians must take extra precaution
to avoid tripping while crossing over
the incomplete medians. Community
Board 6 has been fighting to speed up
the project. Work has recently started
up again at both Ascan Ave and 71st
Av. Open medians are to be filled in
and the turning lane at 71st Ave,
which has been closed for 3 years, is
to be reconfigured some time this
spring. We shall see. Speed detectors
and cameras have been in use for
several years now. The city also
installed over five miles of metal
fencing to deter pedestrians from
crossing mid-block. Over $7 million
dollars was spent on the fencing. A
contractor has also been hired to
repair railings damaged by wayward
vehicles.
Forest Hills, Summer ?‘03 - Conditions
on Queens Blvd leave much to be
desired.