By Nora Moses
As part of the city’s redesign and restoration of the 79th Street Rotunda Complex, the rotunda will be closed to all car traffic this summer from June 26 to August 26, Tom Cirrincione, resident engineer on the project, told Upper West Side Community Board 7 on Tuesday.
At the CB7 meeting, Cirrincione gave a presentation via Zoom updating the board on progress of the construction project, which began in 2022 and is estimated to finish in 2026. He also announced the dates for this summer’s closure; a recent newsletter about the rotunda had noted that the traffic circle would close at some point this summer but did not specify the dates.
Cirrincione said that the closure needed to be scheduled while city schools were on summer vacation. “If we don’t get into it, it slips into another year, into the next summer,” he told the board.
The rotunda’s closure will direct drivers who wish to exit the Henry Hudson Parkway to the West 95th Street exit.
After the 60-day closure, the rotunda will return to its “Stage 2” roadway pattern, with the southbound exit to West 79th Street open, until renovations are finished.
Cirrincione said traffic enforcement agents will be at three locations along West 95th Street during morning and evening rush hours for the duration of the rotunda’s closure; agents will be posted at the Broadway, West End and Riverside intersections of 95th Street. While closed to drivers, the 79th Street exit will allow pedestrian and bike traffic to pass through.
Carl Mahaney, director of StreetopiaUWS, an organization that promotes alternatives to car transportation, asked whether the city was making any modifications to physically separate cars and buses from cyclists on the traffic circle. Mahaney said that the current configuration forces cyclists to cross the freeway on- and off-ramps to access the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, which is a popular cycling spot.
Colleen Chattergoon, a Department of Transportation representative who attended the meeting via Zoom, said that while design constraints prevented accommodating a protected bike lane in the area, the rotunda team is “look[ing] at signage, as well as creating a safer route for cyclists that is accessible” and “will help to alleviate some of the concerns.”
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96th st and Amsterdam will be crazier than usual during that time. Hopefully no one gets hurt.
Pro Tip (lol): Coincidentally yesterday I noticed exiting (West Side Hiway southbound) at 95th, if you turn left at West End, then right at 96th st,, you can make the lights at both Broadway and Amsterdam in one cycle if you’re heading crosstown.
(Thus, avoiding a “crazy” scene at 96th going north on Amsterdam.)
I’m glad to hear that traffic officers will be stationed at the 95th Street exit areas. Exiting cars already make it dangerous for pedestrians around there, and the increased volume will add to the problem. And it’s good they are doing this when school is out: several schools are close to that exit.
I guess your better off getting off on West 125th St. then West 96th St., it’s going to be long lines on weekends if you get off at West 96th St. coming back from up state this summer.
Your best bet is following the advice of Google’s Maps or Waze.
Or you could take the FDR to 96th street if you are coming from points east.
Not really not if you live on the Upper West Side. You can go to the east side, but it’s going to be that much longer to get home if you live on UWS.. 🤙
I agree with Ralph Caso, and usually take the FDR to 96th Street when coming from the east. Even without the current complications, taking the FDR and then 96th Street across is usually faster (and vastly less frustrating) than coming across the Cross-Bronx Parking Lot in order to come down the Henry Hudson.
Except during certain times of the day. Early in the morning, the Cross Bronx is sweet.
I am thrilled. Can we close all UWS exits so that cars can be sealed off from the UWS?
My dream is to eliminate all bike lanes as well, so us walkers and runners can have roadways ALL TO OURSELVES!
Frankly, as a walker, I’d love to see runners eliminated from walking paths so we can walk calmly and safely.
(How’s that reductio ad absurdum working out for you?)
Cato, you’re my kind of cat!
Crawlers only. Toddlers unite!
I wish they would use this closure to improve the safety for pedestrians crossing 79th St here.
The painted sidewalk extensions are not safe. They used to have plastic bollards, before they were run over by cars. They are covered in skid marks from cars. They should actually extend the sidewalk into the beige paint zones, or at least add some boulders to prevent cars from taking a shortcut through a place where pedestrians are supposed to be standing.
I’ve personally almost been hit here multiple times. People come off the highway and mentally they’re still in 55mpg mode and they make fast, dangerous turns.
I believe they are improving that intersection with real pedestrian curb extensions as part of the 79th Street bus corridor redesign.
With luck & planning, there will be many conspicuous speed limit signs and 24/7 enforcement.
They also need to fix the timing of the lights near here. Lots of cars want to go south on Riverside. However, the light at 78th is too short so cars get really backed up into the 79th Street intersection which is dangerous, particularly for pedestrians trying to cross. If they made the light for southbound cars at 78th and Riverside green even a few seconds longer, then more cars could get through, as the bottleneck disappears beyond there.
This will likely be less of an issue without southbound cars on the West Side Highway getting off at 79th, but it is still worth considering.
I agree that the intersection at 79th is dangerous. Just this morning I watched a driver who was scrolling on her phone roll through the crosswalk even while the traffic agent was in the middle of the road signaling for her stop.
150 million dollars for a glorified roundabout with some useless public space next to a highway that takes*4 years* to build and they can’t even include a goddamn bike lane to the most popular bike path in north america?
This truly has to be the most wasteful project in the city. I really hope outright corruption was involved because it would at least make everyone just corrupt and not stupid .
Just get off your bike and walk it across, same with the scooters, I am so tired of the waa waa waa
Hanlon’s Razor: “never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
If only all replies were as literate and lively……thank you!
You are severely underestimating the extent of this project, the labor involved, the stone and materials they’re using. You have a rail tunnel underneath and a highway above that have to be maintained. They can add a bike path later.
Why not just eliminate the railway and turn it into a bike path?
(Let me identify that as sarcasm before too many of our resident zealots get excited about the proposal….)
Would have been nice to allow cars to exit and 59th and go north without a $9 congestion fee. That would ease the crowds they anticipate at 95th. To say nothing of those who drive past 95th unawares of the closure.
Talk to anyone who has driven to or from north of 60th and Queens or LIC via the Queensboro bridge ($9, thank you, for the privilege of making a turn from 2nd Ave on to the bridge at 59th or returning if you don’t go on the FDR). These “touchdown inn the CRZ fees” do feel punitive. I get a toll for use of the bridge – just call it that.
Well, you know a lot of people are going to bypass 95th St. and get stuck with that $9 dollar charge because they were oblivious of West 79Th St., being closed and there is many of those type of drivers, big-time.
I would hate to be in the same car with them when that happens. LOL !
How? How would the cameras be positioned to allow people to go go North but catch those staying in zone?
The exit at 95th and Riverside is already a mess. This is only going to make it a lot worse.
I know I will get screamed at by car haters, but pedestrians crossing here will need to do their part. Often times cars wanting to turn right onto Riverside end up sitting forever as pedestrians cross Riverside at a glacial pace while checking their phones, staring into space, or whatever else. I’m not saying they need to sprint, but those who are physically able to should move as quickly as possible.
You are so right Leon.
Another pro tip for drivers exiting here – always use/stay in the left of the two exiting lanes (as you are coming back northbound on the exit) for exactly the situation Leon describes.
Although you need to keep your wits about you if you will be heading straight to 95th st – if the car to your right happens to be doing the same thing and faces no pedestrian blockage, you will be side by each – may the best driver win lol.
Why aren’t they working on the boat basin? They could at least remove the rotted docks and start the dredging.
And we need another supermarket! And how about those Mets!
Effectively causing W95th to become the top of the congestion pricing zone off the highway for the entire summer.
Maybe they could pave the exit at 95th and the little RSD before they send more traffic this way. I’ve only been asking for 25 years.
What happened to the last published plan that didn’t mention the closure? Also, 2 months!!?? If you believe that, I have a bridge you can buy.
Why wasn’t this incorporated in the last update a provided an opportunity for public comment?
I enjoyed the Boat Basin bar/restaurant a few times each summer when it was open and am generally a fan of the space, but this project is a mess and waste of time and money. It is also the dirtiest construction site I’ve ever seen. Additionally, from the on and off ramps, it is clear that they have stopped any semblance of maintenance and they seem to be letting the area be overtaken by the landscaping and trash – a NYC version of Angkor Wat I guess? Already three years of construction to date, and based on the snail’s pace that it has taken so far, completion in 2026 seems incredibly optimistic.
Always remember that the Empire State Building was complete early and on-budget. And it’s still standing!
A fantasy: would be nice if they moved the roll just south of 59th just for these couple of months. Still capture everyone going into congestion zone, but allow those wanting to get into 60s & 70s and help with less traffic getting off at 96th.
Or at least put up an official sign along the southbound highway, just past the now-closed 79th Street exit, that says (big block caps would be nice) to those who just missed the last exit before the Congestion Zone: “GOTCHA!”
Hope the restaurant will be back- remember when run by o’Neal’s?! And if they could get an actual French fryer so we could have something besides potato chips. The smell of the grill- yum!
Hey y’all it’s your favorite girl DJ here! Can demolish the elevated highway already? It’s ugly .
The 95/96 Street exit already needs major overhaul. The traffic will be a nightmare. And you know this is going to take a lot longer than two months.
Still confused. I take the West Side HiWay north from downtown frequently. I get off at 79th St. that exit from the northbound lane will now be closed?