Lentol heads site inspection of BQE exit
Traffic condition is dangerous, he says
Rabbi Abe Perlstein, Samuel Stern, Simon Weiser, Department of Transportation Borough Commissioner Keith Bray, Assemblymember Joseph Lentol and Community Board One District Manager Gerry Esposito (left to right) conducted a site inspection of safety conditions at Wythe Avenue. Photo courtesy of Assemblymember Lentol’s Office
Assemblymember Joseph Lentol and a group of Williamsburg officials and civic leaders joined Brooklyn Transportation Commissioner Keith Bray on site inspections of North Brooklyn roadways that residents have said are dangerous.
The site visits took place Aug. 14 at the intersection of Wythe Avenue and Williamsburg Street West and at the Flushing Avenue exit of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE).
Lentol said the inspections took place so they could determine how to make the roadways safer.
Lentol, who said the Department of Transportation (DOT) is working with local officials to “find creative solutions to these problems,” added that the situation is potentially dangerous.
“The problem is that you have traffic exiting the BQE and merging with traffic from Williamsburg Street West,” Lentol (D-North Brooklyn) said. “Half the people want to turn on Wythe Avenue and half want to go straight through, but the merge is what makes it difficult.”
The problem on Flushing Avenue stems from traffic tie-ups that take place there during peak hours that are “a huge inconvenience for people who get stuck there,” according to Lentol.
Rabbi Abe Perlstein, the first vice chairman of Community Board 1; Simon Weiser, the co-chairman of the community board’s Transportation Committee; and Gerry Esposito, the community board’s district manager also took part in the onsite review of safety conditions.
“The bottleneck at the BQE Flushing Avenue exit is unbearable to the neighborhood, and it often backs up the BQE. The Wythe Avenue exit also needs improvements,” said Rabbi David Niederman, president of the United Jewish Organization of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn. “I’m thankful to DOT Borough Commissioner Bray for taking his time to review the problems, and for working on improvement to mitigate the traffic nightmare on Flushing Avenue.”
The community board leaders characterized the on-site inspections as a productive.
“I’m thankful to Brooklyn CB1 Chair Dealice Fuller and Manager Gerry Esposito for arranging for the on-site visit. A special thanks to Borough Commissioner Keith Bray for making the time for the visit and thoroughly analyzing the problem and possible solutions,” Rabbi Abe Perlstein said.
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