RED HOOK — A change in direction to sections of Verona and Commerce streets would ease traffic congestion and make it easier for future residents of upscale condos to get to their homes, according to a city proposal presented Thursday.
The Department of Transportation is seeking to convert Commerce Street between Imlay and Van Brunt streets into a one-way eastbound street. The one-block stretch is currently a two-way street.
The proposal would also change the direction of an underused section Verona Street between Imlay and Van Brunt streets. Traffic on the block currently flows eastbound from Imlay to Van Brunt streets, but the conversion would make it westbound.
The changes would create a better network of streets in the area while also providing more options to access Imlay Street from Van Brunt Street, transit officials said.
This feature would be particularly important once 160 Imlay St., the massive upscale residential conversion at the former New York Dock Building, is occupied.
"We're expecting quite a bit more pedestrian and vehicle traffic," a representative from the DOT told Community Board 6's transportation committee Thursday night.
The narrow two-way section of Commerce Street is only 30-feet wide, creating congestion on the street, which is primarily used by trucks and service vehicles, the DOT said.
There is also parking on both sides of the street, and vehicles have often found their side mirrors clipped off, the city representative said.
The existing street layout encourages cars to reverse or travel the wrong way on one-way Imlay Street, creating a hazard for bikers and pedestrians.
The issue was first presented to the city by the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corp. After studying traffic patterns in the area for several months, the DOT came up with the proposal.
The transportation committee unanimously approved the proposal. It will be presented to the CB6 general board for a final vote Oct. 14.
