Espaillat, NYPD Make Push To Ease 181st Street Traffic

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Rep. Adriano Espaillat recently took to Facebook to thank the New York Police Department for their recent efforts to help with traffic at key intersections throughout Washington Heights.

At the end of September, Espaillat penned a letter to NYPD Transport Chief Kim Royster noting the "severe" traffic between West 178th Street and Dyckman Street.

He added that there was no presence of NYPD Traffic Enforcement to assist with pedestrians, bikers, cars, and buses, and requested that the police place personnel at key intersections throughout the neighborhood.

"We understand that there has been increased congestion at 181st and Broadway related to the 181st Busway that may need to be addressed, but the epic traffic jams that I describe pre-date the Busway, and lack of Traffic Enforcement in the area is longstanding," Espaillat wrote in the letter.

Espaillat's letter also mentioned the nearby construction impacting the 179th Street entrance ramp and the Henry Hudson Parkway northbound ramp approach to the George Washington Bridge.

"There are many days (including Saturdays) when traffic in the adjacent streets comes to a virtual stop," Espaillat wrote in his September letter.

A month and a half later, Espaillat is happy with the response he's seen from the police to help with traffic in the Heights.

"Our neighborhood saw an immediate improvement in congestion once uniformed officers from the 34th Precinct were deployed at key intersections in the area," Espaillat wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

The New York Police Department told Patch that "Traffic Agents were deployed to the area to address traffic congestion along 181st Street."

State Senator Robert Jackson also took steps to help with the recent uptick in traffic in Washington Heights.

Jackson met with the DOT Borough Commissioner Ed Pincar in September about the problem area of 181st Street to 178th Street along Fort Washington Avenue and Broadway, where the duo walked the stretch and the state senator pointed out improvements that could be made.

The 181st Street busway launched in April 2021, creating a half-mile lane for bus and trick priority to 181st Street between Broadway and Amsterdam going eastbound, and Amsterdam to Wadsworth going westbound.

If a car, taxi, or van enters into the busway, they must take the next available right into a different lane or street.

You can read Espaillat's complete thank you to the NYPD for stepping up their traffic assistance in Washington Heights and his original letter asking for more help on his Facebook page.