Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about New York State DOT

State DOT’s Misplaced Priorities: Widening Highways While Bridges Crumble

By Ben Fried | Nov 12, 2009 | 9 Comments

Earlier this week we asked why the state Department of Transportation still thinks it’s a good idea to widen highways in the middle of dense urban neighborhoods. The agency met with stiff resistance Monday when it presented plans for bigger ramps and more lanes where the Major Deegan Expressway passes through a redeveloping neighborhood in […]

State DOT Channels Spirit of Robert Moses in Major Deegan Expansion Plan

By Ben Fried | Nov 10, 2009 | 8 Comments

These are enlightened times for New York City’s local streets. The city is building sidewalk extensions, protected bike lanes, and better busways. But at the state DOT — the agency that controls the vast majority of New York’s federal transportation funding — much of the playbook still comes straight from the Robert Moses era. At […]

Pennies for Pedestrians: NY State Spends Small on Street Safety

By Brad Aaron | Nov 9, 2009 | 6 Comments

New York State devotes just 1 percent of its federal transportation funds to pedestrian infrastructure. Photo: Wikipedia It’s not news that a half-century of transportation spending to accommodate the automobile has made the typical American city hazardous and hostile to people on foot. But it’s shocking how we still devote so few resources to correcting […]

The Winning Transpo Formula for a Third Term: Sustainability + Populism

By Kate Slevin | Nov 9, 2009 | 13 Comments

Mr. Bloomberg, tear down this highway. A vision of West Farms Road with housing and shops instead of the Sheridan Expressway. Image: South Bronx River Watershed Alliance. Following Tuesday’s citywide elections, Streetsblog asked leading advocates and experts to lay out their ideas for the next four years of New York City transportation policy. What should […]

Mr. Gee, Tear Down This Highway

By Ben Fried | Jul 17, 2009 | 14 Comments

Here’s a scenic shot of the Sheridan Expressway in the South Bronx during the evening "rush," courtesy of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and the advocates behind the Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance. Even in the peak direction, reports Tri-State’s Steven Higashide, the Moses-era relic is barely used at all: The gaps in the traffic weren’t […]

What’s Next for New York State DOT?

By Ben Fried | Apr 15, 2009 | 2 Comments

State DOT Commissioner Astrid Glynn On Monday, state DOT Commissioner Astrid Glynn tendered her resignation, leaving the agency’s top job during a critical period for statewide transportation policy. Governor Paterson engineered Glynn’s departure, according to the Daily News, following her three-week vacation to Borneo that came while DOT is still deciding how to spend its […]

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