Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. announced Monday a $1 million allocation for Phase B of select bus service on Woodhaven Boulevard.
The corridor hosts the Q52 and Q53 Select bus routes. Site improvements began in 2017 with the installation of 6.85 miles of bus lanes on the boulevard and alignment; the addition of bus boarding islands and other amenities such as bus stops, real-time passenger information, seating and decorative fencing; new security measures; and renovated medians.
According to the city's Department of Transportation, safety improvements have reduced pedestrian injuries by 20 percent, bicyclists by 80 percent, car accidents by 36 percent and total incidents by 33 percent.
A key tenet of the Woodhaven Boulevard Select Bus Service Phase B is a redesign of the busy Ozone Park intersection at Woodhaven Boulevard, Rockaway Boulevard and Liberty Avenue, where Richards spoke Monday, to create a safer experience for pedestrians, drivers and commuters waiting for a bus, according to the BP office.
Upgrades in Phase B of the project, extending from Union Turnpike to 107th Avenue, include expanded spaces for safe bus rider gathering, sidewalk extensions, sidewalk renovations, and accessible mid-pedestrian protection areas for residents with disabilities, as well as upgrades to 16 bus stops, 17 sidewalk extensions, 12 shortened crosswalks, and 38 Median strips or median strip tips.
Seven additional intersections, three raised crosswalks, more than 75 street trees and more than 10,000 square feet of landscaped area will be added.
The borough president's investment is in addition to the $40 million the city has already committed to Phase B. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2026.
On Monday, Richards, MTA NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow, MTA Acting Bus Superintendent Frank Farrell, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, Eric Macfarlane, first deputy commissioner of the city's Department of Design and Construction, and Sherry Algredo and Betty Braton, heads of Community Boards 9 and 10, met on Monday Corporal Ruoff Square to celebrate the new assignment.
“I’m writing a check because I know this work will truly improve the lives of bus riders and residents of South Queens,” said Richards, who planned the announcement as part of his “Borough Hall on Your Block: South Queens” initiative. “And I'm writing a check because of the success the MTA, DOT and DDC have already had in making SBS a reality. This partnership has been truly beneficial and I'm sure it will continue to pay dividends.”
Crichlow praised the benefits SBS has had on the corridor, saying the Q52 and Q53 are 3 to 4 mph faster than before.
“It means more time with friends, more time with family,” Crichlow said. “This is how we spend time with people who love them, rather than spending it on the bus, sitting around and traveling. Better bus infrastructure leads to better bus service – we already have the proof. The more we do this, the more we will see better bus service.”
Rodriguez said, “Woodhaven Boulevard is a great example of what we can achieve when we use our toolbox to create safe streets with dedicated space for buses.”