NYC DOT Tests Out a New, Faster Way to Build Raised Crosswalks

NYC DOT has installed raised crosswalks — marked crossings that double as speed humps — at Tinton Avenue and East 150th Street in the Bronx and at Driggs Avenue and Newel Street in Brooklyn. While the city has built raised crosswalks elsewhere as part of large capital projects, this is the first time they’ve been installed as a standalone safety improvement.

The crosswalks serve not only to slow drivers at intersections, but also to improve accessibility for seniors and the disabled.

The city received a federal grant to install raised crosswalks at those two locations plus three more in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, according to a DOT spokesperson. DOT is currently identifying locations with high densities of seniors, low-income residents, and people with ambulatory disabilities who would especially benefit from easier curb access.

The grant also covers a post-installation study of the crosswalks’ impact on safety and access.

The treatment does not involve expanding concrete sidewalks across the street. Instead, DOT has raised the asphalt up to sidewalk grade, which is likely much less expensive and much easier to scale up, though the spokesperson did not specify the exact cost of this type of raised crosswalk.