QUEENS — The street lights at one of the busiest intersections in Forest Hills have been out of order for weeks, creating an additional hazard at the already dangerous corner, residents said.
Four street lights — each equipped with two bulbs and located on the medians at the intersection of Queens Boulevard and 71st Avenue — have been dark since at least December, residents said.
“The entire intersection has been in complete darkness for at least two months,” said Stephen Melnick, a Forest Hills resident and member of the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce. “It is extremely dangerous to cross here at night."
The congested and accident prone intersection includes two Queens Boulevard service roads, multiple traffic lanes going in both directions, the 71st/Continental Avenue subway station, numerous bus stops and a taxi stand, residents and local elected officials said.
Several fatal crashes occurred there in recent years and it's one of the "priority intersections" under the city's Vision Zero program.
Local Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz, who said she has been contacted by numerous residents about the broken lights, sent a letter to the Department of Transportation, urging the agency to fix them.
“The absence of street lights at this location makes crossing Queens Boulevard especially dangerous in the evening hours,” she wrote in the letter dated Feb. 16.
A spokesman for the DOT said the street lamps lost power and the agency is working with Con Edison to fix it.
