ON THE MAP
But boro nearly lost its ‘way-finder’ signs
A PEDESTRIAN-FRIENDLY program headed for the Bronx was nearly wiped from the map after a city agency blunder, the Daily News has learned.
The city Department of Transportation missed a September 2013 deadline with the Federal Transportation Administration, losing out on $750,000 in funds meant to bring Walk NYC “wayfinding signs,” better known as maps, to the Grand Concourse and 161st St. corridor.
The glass-enclosed stations, marking major points of interest and nearby transit options are meant to make navigation easier, and about 100 neighborhood maps were installed across Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan last year.
But the Bronx was almost left in uncharted territory when the DOT failed to file for a Job Access Reverse Commute grant in time.
“This is typical,” said Cary Goodman, the executive director of the 161st St. Business Improvement District. “It’s always Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan first with these programs and now they can’t even file on time for the Bronx.”
On Wednesday, Rep. José Serrano (D-South Bronx) navigated a rescue mission and sent a last-minute letter to the Federal Transportation Administration, which obligated the grant in its entirety.
“The new wayfinding sign program centered on the Grand Concourse will make our borough friendlier to pedestrians,” Serrano said in a statement. “I was glad to help secure the federal funds for this project, which will improve what is already one of the great boulevards in our city.”
When questioned about the mishap, a DOT spokesman said everything was part of “routine grant application procedures” The spokesman added that, “...there has been no delay in DOT’s timeline for the project.”
The first wave of stations, which cost a total of $6 million, popped up in Chinatown; the Garment District; Prospect Heights, Brooklyn; and Long Island City, Queens.