ASTORIA — The city will begin making changes this fall to the intersection of Newtown and 30th avenues, three years after a public debate over how to make the busy corner safer for pedestrians.
Construction of three curb extensions at the site will start sometime within the next few months, according to a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Design and Construction.
Local residents and city officials have been eyeing the intersection — located in one of Astoria's busiest commercial corridors — for safety changes for several years.
There's no signal at the 90-foot long crosswalk where Newtown Avenue hits 30th Avenue, making the crossing confusing and harrowing for pedestrians.
In 2012, the Department of Transportation presented two ideas to improve the site, including installing curb extensions to extend the sidewalk and make the crosswalk shorter.
The other proposal was to close a the portion of Newtown Avenue, in front of the Key Food supermarket, in order to build a pedestrian plaza with planters, tables and chairs.
The DOT even closed down the section of the street for one day to let residents test the plaza out.
But Queens Community Board 1 ultimately voted down the idea, after local business owners complained that closing off part of the street would increase traffic congestion in the area and hurt local businesses.
There was no immediate timeline for when construction of the curb extensions would be finished, the DDC spokeswoman said.
