FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com MARCH 31, 2016 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11 Truck traffi c creeps up along main Maspeth drags BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@qns.com @A_GiudiceReport Sometimes they come back. More big rigs are using two of Maspeth’s main roadways despite being directed to use the “Maspeth Bypass” through the neighborhood’s industrial area. Now the city’s looking at additional ways to keep trucks on the right track. The Department of Transportation (DOT) is ready to launch the seventh phase of its Maspeth Bypass Project, which will help divert more trucks off of Grand and Flushing avenues onto the less-crowded Maurice Avenue. Details were announced at the Community Board 5 (CB 5) Transportation and Public Transit Committees joint meeting on Tuesday night, March 22, in Ridgewood. Grand Avenue and Flushing Avenue in Maspeth are often congested with an overfl ow of trucks coming off of the Long Island Expressway, trying to make their way to Metropolitan Avenue, making it diffi cult for commuters to get around. In 2012, the DOT implemented a bypass route for trucks down Maspeth Avenue, Maurice Avenue and 58th Street to allow for safer movement of truck traffi c. The DOT subsequently removed Grand and Flushing avenues in Maspeth from the truck route network. The agency also installed signage alerting truck drivers to use the bypass rather than Grand and Flushing avenues. Even so, trucks remain a presence on both roadways. “In 2015 … overall there is a 12 percent increase in overall traffi c in general on Grand Avenue, and overall, the number of trucks have reduced by 20 percent, and 18 percent on Flushing Avenue,” said Luigi Castelli, consultant for DOT. “However, there has been a slight increase in tractor trailer traffi c on Grand Avenue between 2013 and THE COURIER/File photo 2015. It’s happening, it’s there and we observed it and this is one of the things we want to address is the noncompliance along this corridor.” The DOT has three types of solutions for the noncompliance; shortterm, mid-term and long-term solutions. Short-term solutions include placing additional signage to better alert drivers of the bypass, as well as communications outreach to truckers and companies. Mid-term solutions would use electronic Viral Messaging Signs (VMS) set up before the bypass to tell truckers to take the bypass. Long-term solutions would include placing a permanent inspection station by the Rust Street/Flushing Avenue intersection, or infrastructure improvements along Grand Avenue and Flushing Avenue to make the routes more pedestrian-friendly. “This project is more of a planning study, where we are looking at the zoomed out view of the entire bypass to fi gure out how we can move ahead in the future,” said Michael Klatsky, project manager with DOT. “This project is intended to guide future investments, and not necessarily come up with something concrete.” Some of the reasons trucks are still traveling along Flushing and Grand avenues could be because they do not know of the bypass, or they feel that the bypass is a longer route. Jean Tanler, Maspeth Industrial Business Association Coordinator, had another reason as to why truck drivers do not take the bypass. “The railroad crossing on Maspeth Avenue needs to be repaired and companies are actually telling their drivers not to use Maspeth and Maurice to get into the industrial area because it’s damaging their trucks,” Tanler said. DOT is now looking for feedback from the community board to help them inform the next stage of their study, before any implementation takes place. Great rates like ours are always in season. 1.30% 24-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit 1.05% 12-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit To qualify you must open a Flushing Bank Complete Checking Plus account. Get the complete access and control you desire with a competitive interest rate and banking on-the-go with our Flushing Bank Mobile2 app. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. 1 New money only. APY effective March 2, 2016. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of $5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. Premature withdrawals may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to change without notice. A new Complete Checking Plus account with a $5,000 minimum initial deposit is required to receive the CD with the advertised rate. Certain fees and restrictions may apply. For new IRA and rollover accounts, the minimum deposit balance is $5,000. A new checking account is not required for IRA accounts. Speak with a Flushing Bank representative for more details. 2 Flushing Bank Mobile Banking is available to all Flushing Bank online banking users. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
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