New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and State Senator Simcha Felder officially announced the installation of new lighting along McDonald Avenue from Ditmas Avenue to Bay Parkway. Located under the elevated F train on McDonald Avenue, DOT has installed various new lighting poles that enhance visibility for pedestrians and motorists.

“Borough Park residents know that the F train rumbling above McDonald Avenue creates unique challenges, including greater darkness on an important commercial street below,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “Today we are proud to reveal more and better lighting here, using new bulbs that are both brighter and more energy-efficient. Brighter streets and sidewalks help us meet our Vision Zero goals, and we want to thank Senator Felder for his advocacy, financial support, and helping DOT to rethink the way we operate. In the past, DOT installed lighting that may have kept streets themselves bright, but especially under elevated roads and railways like this one, those lights were often not bright enough for the sidewalk. Thanks to Senator Felder, we have prioritized lighting here on McDonald and on other sidewalks like it throughout the five boroughs.”

With this grant, said Senator Felder, “school children can walk in safety, families can cross streets without fear, and business owners can go home at night confident that newly, well-lit streets will keep their stores more secure.”

“Thanks to the de Blasio administration’s DOT Commissioner, Polly Trachtenberg, we can finally see the light on McDonald Avenue,” said Senator Felder.

In efforts to improve safety along this corridor, Senator Felder allocated $500,000 of the project’s total cost of $685,000, with DOT funding the remainder. DOT removed and replaced all existing fabricated steel poles with sustainable Davit poles with brighter, energy-efficient light–emitting diode (LED) lights. In addition, 94 new street poles have been installed, 21 additional poles will be installed at the traffic intersections. The new poles are now spaced approximately 55 feet apart compared to the previous intervals of 120 feet. To increase visibility on sidewalks, DOT has also installed 82 pedestrian lighting poles. Remaining poles and underdeck lighting will be installed upon completion of an ongoing MTA rehabilitation project at the Avenue I and Bay Parkway Manhattan-bound F stations.

DOT maintains over 250,000 street lights throughout New York City, and is in the process of upgrading all streetlights citywide to LED fixtures. More than 60,000 LED fixtures have been installed in Brooklyn and DOT is currently installing approximately 81,000 fixtures in Queens, 33,000 in the Bronx, 22,000 in Manhattan, and 31,000 on Staten Island. For more information on street lighting, please visit http://on.nyc.gov/1qkCLxh

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)