Ratner’s Sidewalk Seizure: Marginalizing Pedestrians for Three Months

Photo: Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn.

After yesterday’s post showing the sidewalk appropriation going on at Pacific Street and Sixth Avenue as part of Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project, DOT sent an email explaining why this is happening:

We approved a plan at this location to permit two-way traffic using a portion of the sidewalk during sewer installation for approximately 12 weeks. This kind of arrangement is not unique and has been used on projects such as the Second Avenue Subway and on major projects on 34th Street in Queens or Richmond Terrace on Staten Island. We inspected the location this morning and instructed the contractor to replace the wooden barrier with one made of concrete and to extend it in both directions while maintaining at least a five-foot-wide pedestrian walkway, and to install additional signs as was part of the original, approved plan. We will continue to monitor the area.

I’m still wondering why the east-bound lane of traffic can’t just take a detour onto Sixth Avenue.