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Read the press release here.

Crosswalks Coming to Center Boulevard After Calls for Increased Safety

 Crosswalk markings will be added to Center Boulevard at 48th and 49th Avenues next month, according to the Department of Transportation.
Crosswalk markings will be added to Center Boulevard at 48th and 49th Avenues next month, according to the Department of Transportation.
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DNAinfo/Jeanmarie Evelly

HUNTERS POINT — The Department of Transportation will add crosswalks to two corners of Center Boulevard in Long Island City, following calls from local leaders and residents for safety improvements on the waterfront street.

The markings are expected to be installed next month at 48th and 49th Avenues, according to a DOT spokesman. The news was first reported by the LIC Post.

The crosswalks will join a set of all-way stop signs that were installed in early July at the same intersections, which are adjacent to P.S./I.S, where elected officials and Hunters Point residents have been calling for traffic safety improvements.

Locals say crossing Center Boulevard has become increasingly hazardous as the neighborhood grows, bringing more foot traffic to the street as well as cars that tend to speed down the roadway.

In June, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer joined children and parents from the nearby school to install a mock stop sign and draw crosswalks on the street with chalk, saying the DOT had ignored their previous requests for traffic calming measures there.

The DOT told DNAinfo at the time that it would be re-evaluating the boulevard.

Community Board 2 Chairman Joe Conley said the board has been pushing for traffic upgrades on Center Boulevard for years, and said news of the recent improvements are a "long journey that finally came out on the right side."

Safety measures were needed not only because of the street's proximity to P.S./I.S. 78 but also because pedestrians must cross the Center Boulevard to enter the popular Gantry Plaza State Park across the street.

"That park is so well-utilized," he said. "Pedestrian safety was almost ignored for too many years."