Generally Speaking: Boulders help protect Bay Ridge refuge islands
Large boulders usually employed to prevent coastline erosion, such as those seen all along the Shore Parkway waterfront, mysteriously appeared near the edges of two traffic/refuge islands at the triangular intersection of Marine Avenue, Ridge Boulevard and 95th Street. Both Marine Avenue and Ridge Boulevard have two-way traffic and 95th Street is a one-way street heading east toward Third Avenue.
In reality, this particular area has been somewhat challenging for vehicles turning and pedestrians crossing safely for many years. NYC Department of Transportation engineers responded by creating two traffic islands with wide pavement markings, but apparently to no avail. Intruding vehicles were spotted crisscrossing the so-called protective islands. So Community Board 10 and Councilman Justin Brannan kept the heat on the DOT to come up with a better safety plan.
The latest results we saw were the addition of 36-inch rubber stanchions and five boulders ranging in size from 21 to 26 inches tall and 38 to 45 inches long. In some cities the giant rocks are referred to as passive barrier boulders.