| Queens Boulevard |
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From beginning to end, the road runs through Long Island City, Sunnyside , Woodside , Jackson Heights , Elmhurst , Rego Park , Forest Hills , Kew Gardens , Briarwood and Jamaica . Queens Boulevard was built in the early 20th century to connect the new Queensboro Bridge to central Queens, thereby offering an easy outlet from Manhattan . It was created by linking Thomson Avenue and Hoffman Boulevard, stubs of which still exist. It was widened along with the digging of subway tunnels in the 1920s and 1930s, and some speculated the plan was to transform it into a Highway , as was done with the Van Wyck Expressway . The city actually did propose converting it in 1941, but with the onset of World War II , the plan was never completed. The combination of Queens Boulevard's immense width, heavy automobile traffic and thriving commercial scene made it the most dangerous thoroughfare in New York City and earned it citywide notoriety and morbid Nicknames such as "The Boulevard of Death" and "The Boulevard of Broken Bones." From 1993 to 2000, 72 pedestrians were killed trying to cross the street, an average of 10.2 per year, with countless more injuries. Since 2001, at least partially in response to major news coverage of the danger, the city government has taken measures to cut down on such incidents, including posting large signs proclaiming that "A Pedestrian Was Killed Crossing Here" at intersections where fatal accidents have occurred and installing more Road-rule Enforcement Cameras . These efforts worked: during all of 2004, only one pedestrian was killed while trying to cross Queens Boulevard. {Link without Title} Because of its name, density, accessibility, and diverse, multicultural character, the road has come to be somewhat emblematic of Queens in general. |
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