Dangerous Atlantic Avenue Stretch To Get $37M In Fixes

EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN — Work started Friday on a $37 million project aimed at making a dicey stretch of Atlantic Avenue safer. The 1.2-mile section of the thoroughfare from Logan Street to Georgia Avenue in East New York will get wider medians, extended curbs, upgraded traffic signals and other fixes, city officials said.

The project, expected to be complete by winter 2020, will cut down on accidents along a stretch of road that saw nearly 1,200 injuries and three deaths from 2010 to 2014, officials say.

"This is a monumental moment for the Cypress Hills and East New York Community," City Councilman Rafael Espinal (D-Brooklyn) said in a statement. "Atlantic Avenue has been a blight in our community that has been unsafe for motorists and pedestrians, while serving as a barrier between the two communities."

The wider medians and extended curbs will cut down the time it takes for pedestrians to cross the thoroughfare, officials said. Workers will also paint more visible crosswalks, install new sidewalks and add new traffic markings to get rid of dangerous left turns, according to officials.

Drivers will get new left turn bays to make turns safer and trim the risk of crashes when changing lanes, officials said. Traffic signals will also be modified to help reduce speeding.

More than 10,000 feet of water mains below the street that were build before 1970 will be replaced, officials said, as will more than 800 feet of sewer lines. New benches, signage, storm drains and 153 new trees will top off the project.

The city's Department of Transportation and Department of Design and Construction are overseeing the work, which got some funding from the city's Neighborhood Development Fund as part of the 2016 East New York rezoning.

Money also came from Mayor Bill de Blasio, the City Council, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and federal agencies, officials said.

(Lead image: Work started on a $37 million project to improve safety on a stretch of Atlantic Avenue in East New York. Photo courtesy of the Department of Design and Construction)