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The proposed elimination of an on-ramp that allows southbound traffic from Ninth Ave. to access the Lincoln Tunnel (shown at right, just west of Ninth Ave. between 37th and 36th Sts.), would nearly double the amount of green space slated for 36th St. (shown at left). (Photo by JB Nicholas) |
Published: Thursday, January 28, 2010 1:50 PM CST
The concrete labyrinth of access ramps that snake under and through the streets of Hell’s Kitchen connecting to the Lincoln Tunnel will make room for trees, grass and park benches while also improving traffic conditions in the area, according to a new plan being floated by Community Board 4.
The myriad cars, trucks and buses that wind through the neighborhood and make life for pedestrians difficult would circulate in new patterns that could yield up to 27,800 square feet of parkland and relieve congestion as well. The board’s transportation committee discussed aspects of the proposal at its meeting on Wed., Jan. 20.
Dyer Ave., which runs north and south from 30th to 42nd Sts. between Ninth and 10th Aves., is an integral part of this maze. Contrary to expectations, when its two northbound lanes between 34th and 35th Sts. were closed for repaving last fall, everyone noticed that the traffic flow in the area improved. Consequently, one northbound lane remains permanently closed, and the other continues to be closed during peak hours.
In view of this development, the Board 4’s transportation committee would like to have both these northbound lanes permanently closed to traffic. Doing so would not only continue to tame the flow of traffic, but also yield a bonus of 6,000 square feet that could be inexpensively converted to green space and is conveniently located next to large residential buildings. The southbound lanes would remain open and operational.
The most radical and innovative of the committee’s proposals, however, is the elimination of the semi-circular Ramp C between 36th and 37th Sts., which connects to the Lincoln Tunnel. The ramp, which accommodates the southbound traffic on Ninth Ave., winds west around a large residential building until it meets Dyer Ave., where it heads north and merges with northbound tunnel traffic.
Instead, the committee wants to extend that loop by having vehicles continue down Ninth Ave. past the on-ramp, turn right on 35th St. toward Dyer Ave., then turn right on the avenue and continue north to the tunnel.
The benefits from this change would be manifold, according to the committee, as tunnel traffic on Ninth Ave. should ease somewhat with roughly another block and a half to queue before turning. More important, traffic would flow easily onto Dyer Ave. without the need to merge, because no traffic would be heading north on the closed section of the avenue between 34th and 35th Sts. The merge of the current ramp and the below-grade access route, a source of bottlenecking, would also be eliminated.
Furthermore, the soon-to-be-created 36th St. “Greenstreet Island Park” would no longer be sandwiched between eastbound traffic on 36th St. and tunnel traffic on Ramp C directly behind it. Better still, the space vacated by the newly emptied ramp, which abuts the mini-park, could be incorporated into the green “canoe”—nearly doubling its size from 9,730 to 17,200 square feet.
The redirection of tunnel traffic away from 36th St., a residential block, to 35th St., where cars would pass between a parking lot on the north side of the street and commercial property on the south side, also provides safety benefits to the area.
“No ramps belong on residential streets—we’re not through-highways,” said committee member Martin Treat. “One thing the Port Authority hasn’t done is pay attention to the queues in our neighborhood,” he continued. “They pay more attention to backed-up traffic in New Jersey.”
Although the board has been discussing these ideas with both the city Department of Transportation and the Port Authority of NY/NJ, only the island park on 36th St. will definitely come to fruition this year. The DOT has agreed to green the “canoe,” as the area is informally called, which will include the parking lane on the north side of 36th St. Last month the board asked the DOT for a pedestrian crossing at the ramp entrance so that pedestrians walking down the west side of Ninth Ave. would be able to reach the new green space without first having to cross to the east side of the avenue. The DOT hasn’t approved the request and is unlikely to do so while Ramp C remains in use, acknowledged committee co-chairperson Christine Berthet.
Now the committee will ask that Dyer Ave.’s northbound lanes be permanently closed between 34th and 35th Sts. It will further request that both the Port Authority and the DOT study its plan for eliminating Ramp C and redirecting traffic to 35th St. and Dyer Ave.
“This is a win-win,” added Berthet. “Everybody has more space.”