State To Study Traffic Deaths On West Side Highway: Report

NEW YORK, NY — The State Department of Transportation will launch a study on traffic conditions on the West Side Highway — which spans five miles along Manhattan's west side — following an uptick in traffic deaths, according to a report.

The state agreed to study the five-mile highway after meeting with State Senator Brad Hoylman in September, DNAinfo first reported. Hoylman and other elected officials asked the state agency to study the highway in February but were first turned down due to the time it would take to complete a full traffic study, according to the report.

A traffic study "takes many years to complete and will not address the timely concerns the corridor may have at a particular location," state DOT Regional Director Sonia Pichardo said in a response to the officials' letter, DNAinfo reported.

During the September meeting between Hoylman and DOT an agreement was made to conduct a "limited, expedited study," that could address problems on the dangerous road in a timely manner, DNAinfo reported.

One pedestrian, one motorist and two bicyclists were killed on the West Side Highway — which stretches from the southern tip of Manhattan to West 72nd Street — in 2016, according to city Vision Zero data. It was the deadliest year for the highway since 2009, when four people also died. This year, one bicyclist has been killed on the highway.

Read DNAinfo's full report here.

Photo by Google Maps street view