Eichenstein Calls for Signal to Indicate When Hamilton Avenue Drawbridge Is Lifted

After hearing from many frustrated constituents, including first responders, who have been stuck in standstill traffic due to an open drawbridge after taking the Hamilton Avenue exit at the end of the Prospect Expressway, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein has written NYC Department of Transportation Acting Commissioner Margaret Forgione, requesting the installation of a flashing light alert system on the Prospect Expressway. Eichenstein requests that the signal be placed half a mile before the Hamilton Avenue Exit, alerting northbound drivers as to the status of the Hamilton Avenue Bridge.

Motorists approaching the merging point of the Prospect Expressway and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway often make a split-second decision whether to continue onto the elevated ramp to the left, merging onto the BQE, or take the exit leading towards the Hamilton Avenue Bridge. Installing a flashing signal on the Prospect Expressway would alert drivers when the bridge is lifted or will soon be lifted, allowing them to avoid traffic delays caused by the open drawbridge.

“A flashing alert system before the Hamilton Avenue exit is a simple yet effective solution that will improve the daily commute of countless New Yorkers,” said Eichenstein.

About 153,000 vehicles traverse the BQE daily, making it one of the busiest roadways in the country.