Office of Borough President James P. Molinaro
Staten Island, New York
B.P. Molinaro and City Agency Heads Announce Princes Bay Traffic Improvements
Widening Amboy Rd. and Foster Rd./Seguine Ave. Will Improve Traffic Flow and Safety
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Borough President James P. Molinaro today was joined by several City agency heads to announce that the intersection of Amboy Road and Foster Road/Seguine Avenue in Princes Bay has been designated the next priority site for traffic improvements involving widening the roadways for left-turn lanes.
“This intersection is gridlocked with heavy traffic – 13,760 vehicles drive through each day,” Molinaro said. “When motorists want to make a left turn, they block traffic behind them because there is no left-turn lane. An entire light cycle can go by without traffic moving because a single motorist must wait for a yellow light signal to make a left turn.
“Many shoppers frequent this location and local residents rely on Amboy Road and Foster Road/Seguine Avenue as main arteries to travel to and from their homes,” Molinaro added.
To help ease congestion and improve safety at the busy intersection, Molinaro reached out to the City Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Design and Construction (DDC) to fast-track a plan that would widen the two roadways at this intersection, which is located near a new South Shore Bluebelt project.
Under the plan, each corner of Amboy Road and Foster Road/Seguine Avenue would get a right-and left-turn bay after the widening of the roadways. The $2.5 million project, funded through City capital dollars, is scheduled to get underway in October 2005.
“We are pleased to team with Borough President Molinaro and the Police Department to make safety and traffic enhancements on Staten Island,” said Department of Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall. “This is indeed a busy intersection, as it leads to a hospital and various popular stores in the Princes Bay area. We want to thank our fellow agencies at the Department of Environmental Protection, the Law Department and the Department of Design and Construction for helping us with this initiative. We also have received favorable reviews about our daylighting program and other traffic initiatives and improvements that we’ve implemented
With the Borough President and the NYPD over the past several years. It is an ongoing process, and we are always receptive to new suggestions and ideas.”
Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Christopher O. Ward said, “We are pleased we were able to lend support to this traffic enhancement project on Staten Island. By our setting back the stone wall running along the perimeter of our adjacent Lemon Creek Bluebelt project at the intersection of Amboy and Foster roads, the designers were better able to accommodate the specifications for widening that busy intersection. Partnerships and cooperation among the City’s municipal agencies contribute greatly to the improvement of borough-wide projects and out City’s quality of life.”
Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David J. Burney, AIA, said, “DDC is pleased to participate in the effort to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety at this intersection. We look forward to working with Borough President Molinaro, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Environmental Protection.”
“The DOT, DEP and DDC are to be commended for responding to Staten Island’s need for traffic improvements at this intersection,” said Molinaro. “Staten Islanders have found that left-turn lanes greatly enhance traffic flow and safety, for motorists and pedestrians alike.”
Molinaro considers the Amboy Road and Foster Road/Seguine Avenue improvements a traffic priority in line with his efforts to enhance traffic flow and safety at intersections across the Borough.
As promised in his State of the Borough address, Molinaro and the DOT established three new left-turn traffic signals at several of the Island’s busiest intersections: Slosson Avenue and Victory Boulevard, Slosson Avenue and Lortel Avenue, and Victory Boulevard and Clove Road.
“These improvements continue the constant exchange of ideas between my office and City agencies that have brought many positive changes to our Borough’s transportation network, from overhead street signs at intersections to rush hour restrictions on Hylan Boulevard,” Molinaro concluded. “I thank the DOT, DEP and DDC for working with me to improve traffic safety and help keep Staten Island moving.”
July 20, 2004