Busy Forest Hills Roadway To Become One-Way Street

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS -- A popular roadway running through Forest Hills could soon turn into a one-way street, but the neighborhood's advisory board wants to find out how the change would impact traffic flow before voting on whether to back the plan.

The NYC Department of Transportation plans to convert 72nd Road between Grand Central Parkway and Queens Boulevard into a one-way road heading northbound in an attempt to ease traffic congestion on the roadway.

Narrow width and high demand for parking on both sides have made the road difficult for drivers to maneuver, with many often forced to pull aside for opposing traffic, a DOT spokesperson said. Some cars parked along 72nd have even been damaged by vehicles unable to safely pass on the roadway, according to DOT.

Community Board 6 - which covers Forest Hills and Rego Park - was slated to vote on whether to back the project during its November meeting, but Chairman Joe Hennessy announced they would table that vote and any surrounding discussion on the one-way conversion until after they review results from a DOT feasibility study on the project.

When the DOT initially brought the plan before Community Board 6 last January, members asked the department to review whether a one-way conversion of 72nd Road was feasible. The DOT completed a feasibility study that summer and determined it was, a spokesperson said.

After the DOT Queens Borough Commissioner Nicole Garcia sent CB 6 a letter with the news in August, Hennessy said he and other board members wants to see that study for themselves.

"If you make a two-way street into a one-way street, you can actually encourage speeding," Hennessy said. "We want to see a study as to what the traffic flow is in the neighborhood before we make any recommendation."

As part of the one-way conversion, the DOT would also look into installing new markings at 72nd Road and 110th Street to improve pedestrian safety, Garcia said in the letter.

A DOT spokesperson said the department has no plans to conduct further studies on the traffic flow impacts of the one-way conversion, but was open to discussing the study further in a meeting with CB 6's transportation committee.

Hennessy said the transportation committee will likely meet with the DOT within the month in hopes of having a recommendation ready for the board to vote on in its next meeting at 7:45 p.m. on Dec. 13.

"I assume everything should happen at the December meeting," he said. "We don’t want to delay it. It’s been out there awhile but unfortunately it hasn’t been worked on."

Lead image via Shutterstock.