DOT Moving Forward With Safety Plan for ACP Boulevard [Corrected]

Safety improvements on deadly Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard could be in place by September, the New York Times reported yesterday, despite continued resistance to the redesign from the local community board.

Three people have been killed while walking on Adam Clayton Powell this year; 12 were killed by drivers since 2006. The road’s wide, straight lanes lead motorists to approach highway speeds: the average speed after 8:00 p.m. is 50 miles per hour, according to the Department of Transportation.

Though Community Board 10 has repeatedly stated that it understands the seriousness of the safety problem along the corridor, it has for years opposed the most comprehensive proposals to fix Adam Clayton Powell. In 2009, CB 10 voted against a plan to add a buffered bike lane to the street. CB 10 opposition forced the road diet proposed for the street this time around to be shrunk to cover only half the distance initially proposed, and the board still hasn’t signed on to the plan.

Breaking from its usual procedure, DOT is ready to move ahead with or without the community board’s firm approval. Construction is set to begin in August, according to the Times, and last a month.

“We just don’t understand it yet,” transportation committee chair Deborah Gilliard said of the plan to extend medians and narrow traffic lanes. Instead, the Times reported that her committee wants to see “more left-turn traffic signals, 30-miles-per-hour speed-limit signs, and pedestrian crossing signals that give those on foot a head start.”

Correction: This post originally ran under the headline “DOT Rejects CB 10 Suggestion for Incorrect Speed Limit Signs on ACP Blvd.,” based on the New York Times report that the transportation committee wanted “35-miles-per-hour speed-limit signs.” The Times has since corrected their piece to reflect that the paper mistakenly reported the speed limit, and the committee did not ask for 35 mph speed limit signs. Streetsblog has in turn corrected this post.