CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — The traffic calming plan for Empire Boulevard, which has just been approved last week, is already being implemented. The Department of Transportation had crews at work at the intersections of Troy and Brooklyn Avenues cutting the streets and digging up the asphalt.

D.O.T. Wasting No Time, Empire Project Underway

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — The traffic calming plan for Empire Boulevard, which has just been approved last week, is already being implemented. The Department of Transportation had crews at work at the intersections of Troy and Brooklyn Avenues cutting the streets and digging up the asphalt.

23 Comments

  • this is crazy

    why isn’t the vaad hakohol fighting this we need the space to drive

  • empire

    Yes. It will be a big nitghmare with police, firetrucks, amubulances, hatzala, u.p.s, school buses, 18 wheelers who use this lovely loud street and will now be restricted in doing their duties.
    24/7 there is always noise, but that is something I can live with.
    Unless Leffets becomes the new EMPIRE, i dont see any way how this will be good in the long run.

  • hello traffic jam

    What a disaster! I cant believe these idiots are going through with this! Can they at least ban commercial traffic to help out with the additional traffic now?

    Boy I’m really not looking forward to morning traffic on the way to work just getting out of CH, guess i’ll have to test drive lefferts Ave and then Eastern Prkwy to see which might be quicker.

    On a positive note though, does this mean that the parade will steer clear of empire on labor day?

  • Empire Resident

    Wow, I think we all need to calm down a little bit, maybe even learn from then and see how fast they are getting this underway. As an Empire Blvd. resident I can tell you that I think it’s a great idea. It will be very hard to get used to at first and I will need to learn to pull into my drive way from my side of the street and not from the opposite side, but at the end of the day they are doing this for our safety.
    I can tell you that at least once a week there is an accident on Empire Blvd.
    Cars are going way to quick and if it would be less space then the cars would not have that option.
    Drop off and pick up times will be very slow on Empire Blvd but the rest of the day I think it will be a much nicer calmer and safer place to drive.

  • Empire!!! Great News!!!!

    This is the best thing to happen to the street ever!!

    Will you guys stop wining about the traffic. Think about us that live here on Empire. We have to deal with unbearable noise, fumes, and not to mention crazy accidents.

    This will beautify the street and raise property values for us home owners.

    Thank you Bloomberg!!!

  • awacs

    “Unless Leffets becomes the new EMPIRE, i dont see any way how this will be good in the long run.”

    At which point they’ll do the same think to Lefferts. Idiots.

  • californian

    and what happens when a car is turning RIGHT and someone is CROSSING then the whole empire comes to STOP, at least before you can go around him(2 lanes) so now empire will be slower than the small streets, just what crown heights needs. thank g-d i moved out of there when i did.

  • Taxpayers United to increase prop values

    Glad to see my property value go up! Wonder how many of you realize it was me who made this happen on the taxpayers dime just to see my property value go up? Not sure about you but noone I know was asked if they would like their tax dollars to be used towards this so just learn to be happy with the new street. It will be pretty! Learn to be Patriotic. As our wonderful VP of the USA Says “its Patriotic to pay taxes” Noone ever said you get to say what to do with those tax dollars. And you say its about safety… Whatever helps you sleep at night!

  • to californian

    first, in ny we drive more agressive than california…

    second, dont forget the ‘bike lane’ they can use to turn right.

    hald yer horses, it’ll be aright. looks nicer, property goes up in value, calmer street, less accidents, can we work on being just a little optimistic??!!

    a crown heighter

  • Crown Heights is a synonym for COMPLAIN

    I believe that all of you guys that are complaining about this are unbelievebly stupid! First of all, check out most streets in Long Island. They are one laners and traffic moves fine. Second, do you guys really care so much about 5 extra minutes in the car or saving .0000001 gallon of gas then the safety of pedestrians and bikers who might even be your very own children??? Anyone who cares this much should not be on the street because you are the people who are speeding because more then 3 minutes in a car is bad for your health! STOP COMPLAINING! Not to mention that traffic will moving better since there will be no double parking tolerated and I will bet that anyone who double parks will get a ticket before you can blink.

  • HAPPY RESIDENT!!!

    HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY AND FOR ALL THE COMPLAINER
    TOO LATE THEY STARTED THE WORK!!!:)

    HAPPY FOR THE EMPIRE BOULEVARD RESIDENT. Trees and flowers NICER!!!

    HAPPY FOR THE PEDESTRIAN CHILDREN, ELDERLY, WOMEN, ECT.
    no more or less accidents….

    HAPPY FOR THE BIKER I AM ONE OF THEM (i WAS ALWAYS SCARED TO GO ON EMPIRE BLD….)
    THANK YOU NEW YORK CITY AND WHOEVER DESIGNED THE PROJECT.

  • anon

    “D.O.T. Wasting No Time, Empire Project Underway”
    granted cutting up the street is underway
    but the big Q is how long will it take until they actually finish it

    considering that the d.o.t. has a rep for starting a project and not finishing it

  • Shmuel Y

    what you dont know, since you are mostly educated by OT or BR or worse ULY (which means you dont know hebrew or english) there is one thing that does not lie. NUMBERS, and if you read the report the numbers show that one lane with a turning lane will actually move fast and better then the status quo. So to set it straight, although you know better, and will mention ups, hatzola, police, etc. The numbers are always right, and once again, you will all be wrong.

    As for me, I wish I had bought homes on Empire, they will really go way up in vaule now!!!

  • The Empire Catastrophe!

    Living in Crown Heights, we can all agree that Empire Blvd. needs improved pedestrian safety and comfort, calmer traffic and nicer street-scape, as the DOT has suggested.

    But is this the right way to do it?

    Ever wonder what will happen with the many trucks and commercial vehicles passing through Empire Blvd on a daily basis??

    How about Emergency Vehicles, police, ambulances and the fire dept. who frequent Empire for its width and easy access?? A one lane ‘Empire’ will be an absolute safety hazard, slowing down emergency vehicles and all it will take is one idiot to double park (which is bound to happen) and the emergency vehicle will become a dead goose!

    I honestly believe we must stop the DOT immediately!

    They explain a smaller Empire will bring calmer traffic and improved pedestrian safety. Do you honestly believe those who speed will seize to speed because of this? Absolutely not! They may find a better place to speed, shifting the problem elsewhere. This will only make the ‘Empire’ problem into a community wide problem!!

    In addition, making a smaller Empire will send commercial vehicles onto other streets, clogging up the smaller streets and creating even worse traffic conditions than on Empire itself!

    They suggest a median where pedestrians can pause while crossing the road. Isn’t this our biggest problem on Eastern Parkway, where our youth run onto the median, in between passing traffic, causing many accidents and injuries!? aren’t we looking to make things better? Why are we looking for new problems??

    Finally, they suggest a bike lane!? What’s with E. New York? What’s with Eastern Parkway? is that not enough?? I happen to be a biker and I’m perfectly fine with what we have now!

    I’ve sent the DOT my suggestion for a better and safer Empire, however, they seem to have their own agendas and are not really interested in what others have to say.

    In short, I’ve proposed to extend the sidewalks at the intersections 9′ into the street, possibly with steel safety poles, to limit the distance of crossing the street, keeping pedestrian off the street and to keep drivers more focused on their turns, ultimately reducing accidents at the intersections. Yet at the same time letting our traffic flow and keeping Empire open to emergency vehicles.

    I did also write to the DOT about the nicer street-scape they’ve proposed, but on second thought, I think people on Empire would be much happier if the DOT would just fix the side walks.

  • CHT

    to all those who say this reconstruction is against the community: Do you know how many people were killed on our section of empire, how many injured. Do the research and then say it is against the community. You are worried where Hatzolah would ride – worry there should be less Hatzolah call.

  • awacs

    “Do you know how many people were killed on our section of empire, how many injured.”

    No, please tell us: how many? hundreds? thousands? You (and DOT) make it appear like Empire Blvd is a public scourge, a purveyor of death and destruction. But those who live here know it’s not so. There aren’t THAT many accidents, and many accidents would happen anyway even if, as the DOT proposes, Empire Blvd motorists sit in traffic. Sitting in traffic = ‘calm’ to the boneheads that run this city. Whatever.

  • Happy

    Empire runs right THRU the community area!

    How many times on a Friday night are people crossing over Empire in the dark.

    I’m all for making Empire a standard residential street, and extending the main thorough-fare to a street at the edge of the shchuna and not directly thru it, thereby encouraging the shchuna to be a shchuna and not the area expressway!!!

    Keep the expressways out of the shchuna!!!

    Should the same be done for Eastern Parkway?!
    If only it were an option!!!

    Gam Zu L’Tova

  • awacs

    “I’m all for making Empire a standard residential street, and extending the main thorough-fare to a street at the edge of the shchuna and not directly thru it, thereby encouraging the shchuna to be a shchuna and not the area expressway!!!”

    And, oh yeah – where should the trucks go? The Bronx, maybe?

    Unless you have a good way to deal with the truck traffic – and truck traffic is VITAL to New York – you’re just spinning your wheels. :-)

  • HappyDad

    some of you are so ill. this is the best news all year in CH. safer for kids and safer for all period end of story. move to willy or boropark if you don’t like it.
    DOT keep it up :)