Today DOT publishes the long waited report on truck routes and its recommendations.
Frankly, we were shocked to discover that the study does not include a single reference to the Lincoln Tunnel and its accesses – in particular 9th Avenue access – as a “Truck Generator site” worth studying in detail, nor was it selected as a” Hot spot” corridor where Truck Routing and Engineering improvements should by applied . It is most surprising since the report points to this corridor as particularly dangerous and congested:
1. 33 accidents per mile on 9th Avenue marks this corridor as the second most dangerous in Manhattan – “9th Avenue – Of the 44 total accidents reported along the 9th Avenue Corridor, 21 accidents occurred along the 0.6-mile span between 34th and 46th Streets.”
2. The truck prohibition in the Holland Tunnel has redirected commercial traffic to the Lincoln Tunnel. “As a result of the truck prohibition at the Holland Tunnel, commercial traffic from New Jersey will be inclined to use the Lincoln Tunnel and West Street to access Lower Manhattan, especially the Canal Street corridor. The situation has been less problematic {at Canal Street}, since the implementation of truck restrictions at the Holland Tunnel as a result of 9/11. The current policy is that the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) prohibits all trucks into Manhattan and permits only two and three axle trucks bound for New Jersey to use the Holland Tunnel. All other trucks are prohibited. Nevertheless, this location (Canal street) is included in the analysis because Holland Tunnel access restrictions may change in the future
3. The Lincoln Tunnel is already severely congested “and is included in the list of those truck routes in Manhattan which are forecast to experience severe traffic conditions in 2025 “.
The study cost over $ 2 million and was three years in the making. The only meaningful suggestion was to change the signs for truck routes and add a green background on them. A two year old could have accomplished the same in two hours for two dollar.