FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 30, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
Queens offi cials ask mayor to install traffi c
agents at LaGuardia Airport to ease congestion
BY ANGELA MATUA
amatua@qns.com / @angelamatua
As LaGuardia Airport continues its $4
billion makeover, some Queens elected
offi cials are calling on the mayor to take
steps that would alleviate the congestion
that has plagued the airport since construction
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began.
Congressman Joseph Crowley,
Councilman Costa Constatinides and
Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas sent a
letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio to ask that he
install traffi c agents at key intersections to
improve the fl ow of traffi c.
Offi cials point out that the airport is
located near already busy thoroughfares
like 82nd Street, Astoria Boulevard
and the Grand Central Parkway in East
Elmhurst.
“Th is particularly complicated stretch
of 82nd Street presents a series of challenges
to the local community, due to
the confl uence of 23rd Avenue, Ditmars
Boulevard, the Grand Central Parkway,
and traffi c in and out of the airport,”
they wrote in the letter. “We would
like to request that traffi c offi cers be
positioned at these intersections during
peak traffi c hours, to ensure the smooth
and orderly fl ow of cars and minimize
congestion.”
Th e LaGuardia Airport overhaul will
create an entirely new facility, replacing
the current airport in its entirety. Th e new
airport will run adjacent to the Grand
Central Parkway, 600 feet closer to the
parkway than it is now.
In August, LaGuardia offi cials made
changes to the fl ow of traffi c on the Grand
Central Parkway to give travelers more
direct access to the terminals. Th e airport
made headlines in February when fed up
travelers exited their cabs and walked to
their terminals to catch fl ights.
Aft er an accident involving a construction
vehicle snarled traffi c, travelers again
left their cabs and walked to the airport.
Constatinides said he has heard concerns
from residents and groups such as
the United Community Civic Association
about the overfl ow of traffi c on 82nd
Street since the construction began in
2016.
Lawmakers also pointed out in the letter
that LaGuardia Airport is expected to
see even more congestion as the holiday
season approaches. Th ere will be free Q70
shuttle buses provided to travelers in an
eff ort to dissuade people from using cabs
or cars. Th is off er began on Nov. 17 and
will end on Nov. 26.
Th e link runs from the 74th Street and
Roosevelt Avenue subway station and
provides connections to the 7, E, F, M
and R trains.
Th e mayor’s offi ce did not respond to
a request for comment as of press time.
Photo courtesy of LaGuardia Airport
Queens lawmakers are calling on the mayor to install traffi c agents at LaGuardia Airport as construction
continues.