DEIS: Traffic concerns; Vehicular traffic impacts

VEHICULAR TRAFFIC IMPACTS

Draft EIS states:

There would be a greater concentration of traffic on East 157th Street, Jerome Avenue, the Macomb’s Dam Bridge Approach, and a portion of East 161st Street near Jerome Avenue, where two of the four proposed parking garages would be located, and on segments of the expressway that lead to East 157th and East 161st Streets.

The proposed project would result in significant adverse traffic impacts at local intersections within the traffic study area and along sections of the Major Deegan Expressway near the proposed stadium site.

Mitigation measures would consist of signal phasing and timing changes, implementation of physical measures to better delineate travel lanes, parking regulation changes (“No Parking, Stadium Event” restrictions), lane signage changes, and the use of variable-message signs (VMS) to inform motorists about traffic conditions.

Implementation of the standard traffic mitigation measures described above would result in all significant adverse traffic impacts being mitigated with the following exceptions: the Macomb’s Dam Bridge Approach/East 161st Street intersection would be unmitigated in both the weeknight and weekend pre-game arrival peak hours and in both post-game analysis hours; the River Avenue/East 161st Street intersection would be partially mitigated in both peak hours; the Jerome Avenue/East 161st Street intersection would be partially mitigated in the weeknight pre and post-game peak hours; the intersection of Macomb’s Dam Bridge Approach and the exit ramp from the southbound Major Deegan Expressway would be partially mitigated during both
peak hours; and the intersection of Jerome Avenue/Ogden Avenue would be partially mitigated in the weeknight post-game peak hour.

Decreased traffic circulation on local streets in search of available parking spaces and less parking on the local streets themselves would provide a benefit to the local community.

As a result of the proposed project, there would be a significant shift of vehicular traffic patterns to and from the proposed stadium since some motorists would now exit and enter the Major Deegan Expressway farther north than they do today.

East 162nd Street would be closed and demapped between River Avenue and Jerome Avenue, and would essentially serve as an entry/exit for one of the new parking garages (Parking Garage B)

East 157th Street between River Avenue and Ruppert Place would be re-opened to vehicular traffic.

The creation of 5,254 parking spaces in the four proposed garages would also create a shift in motorists’ travel patterns to and from the stadium since some would now exit the Major Deegan Expressway when arriving, and enter the expressway when leaving, further north than they do today. As is described later in this chapter, there would be a greater concentration of traffic on East 157th Street, Jerome Avenue, the Macomb’s Dam Bridge Approach, and a portion of East 161st Street near Jerome Avenue.

There would be less traffic on Exterior Street and on the northbound expressway exit ramp to East 149 th Street, since much of the traffic that now parks south of the existing stadium is expected to shift northward to park in the proposed garages located closer to the proposed stadium.

The proposed project would result in significant adverse traffic impacts at local intersections within the traffic study area and along sections of the Major Deegan Expressway near the proposed stadium site.

Response:

Yankee Stadium is notorious for its nerve-wracking, blood-pressure raising, hair-pulling, bumper-to-bumper traffic on game days. Everyone knows about it, whether you live near the stadium or not. Radio traffic reports always talk about it and people avoid the Major Deegan at game times. Locals change their driving patterns according to game schedules to avoid the mess that stadium traffic creates.

Because of what a stadium is – a theater that holds 54,000 people, it is unrealistic to expect that traffic can just go away completely. Traffic is bad now, and traffic will continue to be bad if the new stadium is built. The DEIS makes no argument against this – and openly admits that traffic will continue to be miserable before and after games. However, while the misery will be kept – the new stadium location
will shift the focus of that misery from one part of the neighborhood to another. In this case, the traffic will be shifted from an industrial area (River Avenue and 149 th Street) to directly in front of the Highbridge neighborhood. Due to the neighborhood’s somewhat isolated location atop a hill, it will be very difficult for these unlucky residents to get into and out of their homes 80 days a year or more since the roads into and out of the neighborhood will be clogged with traffic before and after the games.

While the DEIS makes no effort to hide the traffic problems, the project does not offer much else in the way of alternative access. Instead of just saying “the traffic will be bad so deal with it” the project should instead offer more public transit alternatives, such as a new Metro-North Station at the project site along with greater train service to the Melrose station. Getting people off the roads will benefit everyone in a number of ways:

•Local residents will have less traffic to deal with

•Fans coming to the games can opt to take transit and not have to deal with the maddening traffic – this might allow them to enjoy the game experience more

•The Yankees can benefit from increased beer sales since they won’t have to worry about people driving home drunk