The NYC Department of Transportation will be installing a new turn light on Broadway after a fatal vehicular accident at the troubled location.
The DOT will install a left turn light on eastbound 230th Street at the intersection of Broadway in the coming weeks, according to elected officials.
The announcement comes on the heels of the Monday, July 10 accident that claimed the life of a 72-year-old woman who was crossing the street at the intersection.
“The addition of a left hand turn signal is an excellent step in the right direction for addressing the traffic safety issues on Broadway,” said Councilman Andrew Cohen.
Cohen said he wrote a letter with fellow city council members Robert Rodriguez and Fernando Cabrera asking the DOT to make the change.
“I’m pleased they decided to move forward with an additional left hand turn signal,” Cohen said. “While there’s more work to be done, I know the Department of Transportation is taking the issue of Broadway seriously and I look forward to working with them to improve safety on Broadway in the future.”
There have been five motor vehicle-related accidents reported by the DOT as of the end of May, according to the city’s new Vision Zero website, www.nycvz.info.
According to Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, 131 independent incidents occurred in 2016 with 61 of those occurring on or near the exit/entrance ramp to the Major Deegan Expressway.
The assemblyman applauded the change but also called for a total reexamination of West 230th Street.
“Residents from all over the Bronx use the street to gain access to the Major Deegan and many of them deal with this hazardous situation daily,” he said. “What happened on Broadway and West 230th street was a tragedy that must never be repeated.”
The fatality occurred just after 1 p.m., according to police.
An NYPD investigation determined that the victim was crossing on Broadway, east to west, at West 230 Street within the marked crosswalk, when a black Honda traveling westbound on Exterior Street made a left turn onto Broadway, striking the pedestrian within the crosswalk.
The victim was found unconscious from head trauma.
She was transported by an EMS to St. Barnabas Hospital, where she later died of her injuries.
The driver of the Honda remained at the scene. No arrests were made.
Community Board 8 Traffic and Transportation Committee chairman Joseph O’Brien said he asked the DOT to continue studying safety issues at the intersection.
“You have traffic coming from several directions, and it’s difficult to time all the lighting so that it’s absolutely safe,” O’Brien said. “You have two left turn lanes and then you have the Broadway traffic and the cross traffic – its not your typical layout.”
Traffic in the area has only gotten heavier since a multi-level shopping center was built at the intersection, he said.
A large Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robins store now occupies the corner where a gas station once stood which has exacerbated the problem, he said.
