By Forum Staff
City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Tuesday announced the substantial completion of a bus priority project along Northern Boulevard, the longest bus lane installation DOT is delivering this year.
The Northern Boulevard bus priority project delivers five miles of bus lanes from Woodside to Corona, in addition to proven street improvements along a Vision Zero priority corridor. The improved street design assists five bus routes—the Q66, QM2, QM3, QM20, and QM32—with 17,000 weekday riders, and connects to the M, R, subway lines at Broadway and Northern Boulevard.
“The thousands of New Yorkers who commute on Northern Boulevard will not only have faster and more reliable bus service, but they will have a safer experience when walking and crossing the corridor,” Rodriguez said. “Projects like this help us make progress on our Vision Zero goals. We understand that strong bus infrastructure is a necessity; that is why we will continue collaborating with the MTA and our community partners as we tackle more of these important projects.”
The project came about through a robust public engagement process with dozens of stakeholders and community groups over the last five years. DOT hosted an online feedback portal as well as conducted surveys at on-street pop-up sites, building on years of public outreach for safety improvements. NYC DOT also held three public workshops in 2018 to understand the community’s safety and mobility concerns and help guide a vision for a future Great Streets capital project on Northern Boulevard. The capital project includes funding from Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. and Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Corona). In February 2020, DOT and State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Jackson Heights) solicited feedback from businesses on Northern Boulevard. Before starting work in November 2022, NYC DOT presented to Queens Community Board 3 in June 2022. Community Boards 1 and 2 received presentations in May 2023 before work in their districts started.
From the years of community engagement, numerous safety and mobility concerns were brought to the attention of DOT. The agency responded with a series of projects to address these concerns. To improve safety, the community wanted to reduce pedestrian-vehicular conflicts and shorten crossing distances. For transit, the community wanted faster, more reliable service, as well as better connections to local transit and bus service.
From 2018-2021 DOT focused on pedestrian safety by adding Leading Pedestrian Intervals at all feasible intersections, added Left Turn Traffic Calming where feasible, constructed 15 new concrete pedestrian refuge islands, and added painted curb extensions at all feasible locations. From 2021-2023, transit improvements included the consolidation of 10 paired bus stops and the addition of the Bus Only Lane.
“I’m thrilled to see the Northern Boulevard bus priority project completed, so that the thousands of community members who rely on it, from Woodside to Corona, can have a better and faster commuting experience,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “Buses are a critical way for Queens residents to move around the borough, and we’re committed to working alongside NYC DOT and all our city partners to speed up travel times, reduce traffic on our roads and make streets safe. I thank everyone involved in this project for making this happen.”
