Photo by Marc Melzer from Friday.
The Department of Transportation has begun construction work to redesign the intersection of 96th street and Broadway, one of the most dangerous intersections in the neighborhood.
There were 52 injuries recorded at the intersection from 2008 to 2012, and two pedestrian deaths earlier this year, according to DOT.
The DOT’s plan extends the North mall in the middle of Broadway, creates a new crosswalk that will connect the North and South malls, changes the lane and median designations on 96th street, and reworks the timing of the signals.
Certain left turns will also be banned (the full plan is pasted below).
Our readers have also pointed out several problems with the intersection in comments on posts like this one.
The project is set to be completed in late April.
Second photo by Thomas Devito.
It’s about time. Densely-populated areas such as West 96th should not be a multi-lane interstate highway. I hope they introduce similar traffic-calming measures around West 72nd. Most UWS residents do not drive cars but rather rely on public transportation.
You mean most Upper Westsiders of a certain age, don’t you?
Yeah, I take the subway every day, entering at W 96th Street, and all I see are old people. Guess all the millennials are in their limos.
Wow, this plan is extremely professional and creatively intense. Nuking the left turns is harsh for such a busy cross street but most of the day those left turns are actually a big surprise to pedestrians. They are also crushing three lanes into two for a spot and adding a wild middle crosswalk, and also an ingenious way to pass the station without crossing at all.
Perhaps during rush hour so much diverted traffic may cause more problems nearby? Thankfully real experts are now on the case though. The radical calls for a silly speed limit reduction got on my nerves. Saving lives is no excuse for wasting lives away in the living death of unnecessary delays.
“Saving lives is no excuse for wasting lives away in the living death of unnecessary delays.”
With the greatest respect, this is one of the stupidest things I have ever seen posted here or anywhere. Let’s kill some people so you don’t have to wait at a red light? Come on.
Yup. 95th at Broadway and Amsterdam is going to get crushed. Too bad if you live there.
While I welcome the DOT’s willingness to finally, FINALLY, do something, I am highly skeptical this will solve the real underlying problem.
The problem being the choking of foot traffic and the double wait time for anyone trying to cross from the station to north sides of 96th. The wisdom is that pedestrian time is less valuable than those of people driving and therefore they should wait for two lights (nearly two minutes) to make that turn, even in inclement weather conditions. Drivers, on the other hand, have to wait significantly less time get through the intersection with a turn in any direction.
We’ll see how it goes…
The renovation of the 96th street pavilion created the problems that have resulted in deaths at the intersection, 96th and Broadway. Unlike the redone complex at 72nd street, we at 96th did not get a northern pavilion entrance. 72nd street saw a new pavilion built on the north side of 72nd and Broadway. Our existing building, once a public bathroom and later a small museum, was not converted nor apparently considered. With the huge volume of commuters always entering the central island coming and going from the new, south pavilion, many have to cross 96th street to come and go from it. We should have had a north access as at 72nd with the advantage of an already existing northern structure, easily adaptable to entry to the Broadway Metro line. Why can it not be given to the commuter public now and with modest restructuring?
Great idea, although I don’t think the underground platform/infrastructure extends that far north, so I think it may be a more complicated solution than it appears. I live on the north side of 96th & Broadway and would love to not have to cross 96th Street to get to the station.
I was a pedestrian who was hit by a car (in my back), on 95th and Brwy. The car that hit me left the scene..and the police were not very nice. True,i didn’t look behind me, only south, but if a car wants to rush the turn, it runs the risk of hitting someone…. I hope this new DOT plan works.
I have been complaining to DOT about this intersection for years. There have been three pedestrian deaths, including a little boy, very recently in this area. The desire to have fast access to the West Side Highway, or to crosstown going east, has added to the insane signals at 96th and Broadway, both pedestrian and vehicular. 97th and Broadway is also a problem as vehicles block the pedestrian walkway and race to beat the light.