Compiled by Linda Collins
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — One block of DeKalb Avenue at Albee Square and Fulton Mall will be closed and joined with an existing island and nearby open area to create a new and larger public plaza in Downtown Brooklyn.

The design of this plaza — to include new street furniture, new lighting, new trees and the submerging of what is now an above-ground subway vent structure — has been approved at all levels, including Community Board 2 and, more recently, the NYC Arts Commission, according to Christopher Hrones of the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), who convened a public meeting Tuesday evening at St. Francis College.

But the street closure and reconfiguration of the square requires changes to the transportation element and that necessitated the public meeting.

Called jointly by the DOT and the Economic Development Corp. (EDC), the event featured a slide presentation by the designers — Patrick O’Mara of STV and Mark Minkley of EDAW/AECOM — and allowed questions from the public.

O’Mara explained that, as it exists now, Fulton is a narrow two-way street for buses only; DeKalb is a one-way westbound street ending at Fulton; Bond is a one-way northbound street with a jog onto Fulton to Gold; and Gold is a one-way northbound street.

“The concerns were with vehicle traffic safety and the high volume of pedestrian crossings, particularly during peak hours,� he said, pointing out that there are an estimated 1,900 pedestrians on Fulton during peak hours. “There are no traffic signals, cars must yield to pedestrians or force their way through pedestrians, and there are no crosswalks for pedestrians heading east on the north side of Fulton.�

Under the new configuration, traffic on DeKalb will turn south on Bond, turn west onto Fulton and then north onto Gold. Vehicles traveling north on Bond will continue to jog west on Fulton then turn north on Gold — but now there will be traffic signals at Gold and Fulton.

There were even field studies done to make sure the B38 bus traveling west on DeKalb could maneuver the turns onto Bond and then Fulton, according to O’Mara.

An Environmental Assessment Report found no significant adverse impacts and said the new configuration provided good traffic movement and controlled access.

The advantages for pedestrians include increased safety via some new protected crossings that will allow safe movement along Fulton, and the increased amount of public open space.

The new and larger public square is part of an overall streetscape planned for the length of Fulton Mall, according to Joanna Gargiula, project manager for the EDC, who said the total cost of the streetscape and the plaza reconstruction is $12.5 million.

The streetscape will also include new street furniture, new lighting and new trees, plus some new historic signage.

“We hope to begin work at the end of the calendar year and have it completed in two years, by the end of 2011,� Gargiula said.

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