Major changes are coming to Hillside Avenue in Queens, aimed at improving the daily commute for the buses that trudge along this crucial artery. As reported by Gothamist, starting on Tuesday, the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) initiated construction for new bus lanes that promise to reduce wait times and speed up service along 22 bus routes in Eastern Queens once completed later this year. "Hillside Avenue is one of the most important commuting corridors of Queens, but currently features an inconsistent, patchwork design with some stretches of the street offering frequently blocked curbside bus lanes and other sections without any bus lanes at all," Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez explained in a statement obtained by Gothamist.
The redesign will shrink the number of general travel lanes from two to one in each direction, moving to instead feature parking on both sides of the avenue, a dedicated left turn lane, and a camera-enforced lane reserved exclusively for buses. According to data from the DOT, buses navigating Hillside Avenue can currently crawl as slow as 4 miles per hour due to congestion. These new bus lanes, expected to span nearly eight miles, are poised to help change that. Additionally, around 600 new parking spaces and loading zones will be introduced, as described in a report by QNS.
Transportation officials estimate that roughly 215,000 riders will benefit from the changes. Hillside Avenue's bus system, if it stood alone, would rank as the 18th largest in the United States by ridership. The DOT highlights that 60% of the residents near Hillside Avenue depend on public transit, with 83% of those using the bus services. Yet, as of now, less than one-third of the road space is dedicated to buses, leading to those frustratingly slow traffic conditions. The project is not just a boon for commuters but also aims to invigorate local businesses by freeing up curb space to support their operations and deliveries.
In detail, the new bus lanes will be offset from the curb and will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, closely watched over by the MTA’s Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE) system. With the ACE system, cameras mounted on buses will enforce the dedicated lanes. Commissioner Rodriguez told Gothamist that the updated streets design will bring "consistent, camera-enforced bus lanes across the corridor." This overhaul, which kicks off the first major upgrade since curbside lanes were installed in 1969, also represents DOT's concerted public involvement. They conducted nearly 300 pedestrian surveys in multiple languages, reached out to more than 400 businesses, and held over a dozen meetings with local officials and community boards, as per the details shared by QNS. Construction is set to be completed in phases throughout the summer and fall of this year.
