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Redesign of Sherman Avenue in Inwood Includes New Bike Lanes

By Lindsay Armstrong | September 4, 2015 1:22pm | Updated on September 8, 2015 9:00am
 Sherman Avenue was redesigned in order to calm traffic on the street, the DOT said.
Sherman Avenue Redesign
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INWOOD — Major traffic changes have come to Sherman Avenue with the elimination of car lanes and the addition of a new bike paths.

The Department of Transportation implemented the redesign in August, after gaining support for the proposal from Community Board 12 in May.

DOT representative Preston Johnson told board members at the time that the street was being targeted due to its history of crashes, especially at the avenue’s intersections with Dyckman and Academy Streets.

The DOT reduced the number of lanes for motor vehicles from two in each direction to one in each direction. In the extra space, they installed a wider, more defined median and a painted bike lane in each direction.

The changes to Sherman Avenue are part of a recent effort to make Uptown's streets friendlier to cyclists. Bike lanes have also recently been installed on Fort George Hill, West 170th Street, West 158th Street and Edgecombe Avenue.

The DOT also added dedicated left turn lanes to Sherman Avenue at appropriate intersections.

Prior to the redesign, Johnson said that the left lane was for both through and turning vehicles, resulting in unpredictable driving maneuvers. 

The DOT’s proposal also called for a redesign of the intersection of Sherman Avenue, Broadway and Ellwood Street. Those changes have not yet been implemented, and it was not clear when the DOT would break ground on that project.

The DOT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.