CB8 has concerns about plans to modify intersection

If all goes according to the city transportation department’s plan, the intersection at Bailey Avenue and Van Cortlandt Park South will be receive a revitalized look by the end of this year.

But Community Board 8’s traffic and transportation committee has some enduring concerns.

For example, part of the city’s plan will redirect the angle of ramps onto and off the Major Deegan Expressway. Last month, traffic committee members told transportation department rep Darisa Cruz they believe tractor-trailers and buses would no longer be able to make the turns at the proposed angle.

Cruz told the committee the department would double-check all such angles before beginning the project.

Although traffic committee members said they agree the city’s plan would make pedestrian travel safer, they passed resolution requesting the transportation department complete a thorough traffic analysis before the project moves forward.

The intersection at Bailey Avenue and Van Cortlandt Park South has been a source of concern for some time. In 2016, Assemblyman Jeffery Dinowitz requested improvements be made to the intersection based on how busy and dangerous it had become for pedestrians.

The current department of transportation plan is a makeover for the intersection with pedestrians in mind.

The intersection borders Van Cortlandt Park inself but, because of the way ramps onto and off the Major Deegan are currently arranged, the park entrance is virtually inaccessible. Transportation department officials said more than 100 pedestrians cross the expressway’s off-ramps during peak hours, putting them in danger at the busy intersection.

The Bailey Avenue project mirrors one completed on Broadway that added protected bicycle lanes, narrower driving lanes, a bus island, and safer passage for pedestrians from West 254th St through West 263rd St.

In addition to reconfiguring the Deegan access ramps, the transportation department’s plan involves closing the slip lane and adding a better entrance into Van Cortlandt Park.

Analysis from the transportation department shows the lack of existing pedestrian walkways at the intersection has led pedestrians to create their own, and a worn footpath has formed alongside the busy roadsides where no walkway is provided. The city’s plan includes building a new sidewalk along the park side of Van Cortlandt Park South. The sidewalk would outline the entire intersection, running down Van Cortlandt Park South on both sides.

The city’s plan also includes building out a raised bike path connecting to the Empire State Trail, which runs through the park.

The new path would be protected by a channel and run along the road leading into the park.

With respect to the Major Deegan, the transportation department said the curved nature of the existing ramps discourages incoming vehicles from slowing down to merge, and enable drivers to make illegal left turns from the off-ramp and the roadway out of Van Cortlandt Park. The city proposes redirecting the flow of traffic and adding a stop sign in front of both off-ramps, changing the angle to curtail reckless merging, and add crosswalks in front of these lanes.

The plan would also redirected traffic to and from the park so both lanes of oncoming traffic can safely merge onto the Deegan headed north. A pedestrian crosswalk would also be added.

For pedestrians on Bailey Avenue, crossing the street means crossing a total of three roadways — the slip lane, the lane going straight into the park, and the lane turning left onto Van Cortlandt Park South — with nothing but a painted grid to provide safety. The city’s plan would see a pedestrian island added between the two lanes to promote safety.

The slip, which transportation department analysis suggests results in lower driver yield to pedestrians and encourages high-speed turns, would be eliminated under the proposed plan.

Councilman Eric Dinowitz said wants people to be able to access the intersection and the park safely and walk safely through intersections but communication between the transportation department and other city agencies will be key.

“The DOT should be consulting on every project with FDNY, DEP, NYPD to ensure it meets the needs of everyone and its safe,” Councilman Dinowitz said.

A spokesman told The Press the transportation department has consulted emergency response agencies on the proposed project.

Dan Padernacht, former CB8 traffic and transportation committee chair, said traffic analysis, if not broad based and thorough, can produce arbitrary results. He said the goal of the board is to be a spokesperson for the community, and it’s with projects like that proposed for the Bailey Avenue/Van Cortlandt Park South intersection that the committee’s job, advocating for its neighbors, is vital.

With the CB8 resolution on the record, members hope the request for an in-depth traffic study will gain the backing of the city council or other personnel that can bolster committee’s concerns.

At present, Cruz said, the transportation department intends to break ground on the project in May.