By Linda Collins
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Work crews have begun clearing the site where a new and larger public plaza will be created at Albee Square and Fulton Mall in Downtown Brooklyn.

First noted in The Post Tuesday, work crews began site clearance on Monday and the plan is to have it completed by 2011.

As previously reported, the one block of DeKalb Avenue will be closed and an existing island will be joined with the open area in front of the nearby Dime Savings Bank and the future City Point development to create the new 17,000-square-foot square.

The design of this plaza — to include new street furniture, new lighting, new trees and the undergrounding of an existing above-ground subway vent structure — has been approved at all levels, including Community Board 2 and the NYC Arts Commission, according to Christopher Hrones of the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), at a November public meeting.

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

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 around the new square. 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 onto Fulton, according to O’Mara.

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

Fulton Mall Streetscape

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

Reached Tuesday afternoon, Seth W. Pinsky, EDC president, said, “These new projects will transform Downtown Brooklyn into an inviting pedestrian shopping district and also help to attract significant private investment and create jobs and opportunity for residents and small businesses.

“This is another example of Mayor Bloomberg’s five-borough economic development strategy, and similar projects are underway or planned for Queens Plaza, Hunts Point, 125th Street in Harlem, as well as the BAM Cultural District here in Brooklyn.�

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