DOT to Install Traffic Lights at Woodside Intersection

(Photo: Costa Constantinides)

Oct. 8, 2019. By Shane O’Brien

The Department of Transportation will be installing a traffic light at a dangerous intersection in Woodside after decades of public pressure.

The DOT and elected officials announced Monday that a long-sought traffic light will go up at the intersection of Hobart Street and 30^th Avenue.

Many residents have called for a traffic light at the intersection since the 1980s. They say that drivers often disregard the all-way stop signs that are currently in place. Advocates for the light also note that P.S. 151 is located close by.

Council Member Costa Constantinides and Assembly Member Brian Barnwell held a press conference at the intersection Monday. Both have long advocated for a traffic light at the intersection and have been working with members of the Boulevard Gardens community.

Constantinides said that the traffic light will make the area safer for all road users. He said that he has heard complaints about the intersection since long before he took office in 2014.

“Crossing the street shouldn’t be a life-or-death situation, yet often times it’s sadly the case at this intersection,” Constantinides said.

30th Avenue and Hobart in August 2018 (Google)

The DOT has made a number of changes to the intersection this year.

It has extended the curb at 30th Avenue and Hobart Street and made all road crossings ADA compliant with pedestrian access ramps, among other improvements.

The new traffic light will also be accompanied by 25 new parking spaces, according to Barnwell.

“We have secured various traffic & pedestrian improvements, an actual traffic light, and 20-25 new parking spots,” Barnwell said. “It’s a win for all, and I am very happy to have helped secure this for the community.”